


A Changed World

by LittleG98



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: And I love Beth, Angst, Apocalypse, BethAndRickfriends, BethIsWithTheGroupFromTheBeginning, Character Death, Fear, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, MoreTagsToBeAddedLater, Multi, Slow Burn, Walkers (Walking Dead), because I said so, beth is a badass, bethyl, redo, what else can i say
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 08:42:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 126,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28632702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleG98/pseuds/LittleG98
Summary: She had no idea how long she sat there staring ahead at the wall, as the world around her seemed to descended into chaos. It could have been days, the night and the day just seemed to blend into one, it didn't matter though because when things died down she still didn't move. All she could think of was how hungry and thirsty she was; how quickly things had turned around.Beth never expected to be thrust into this world, not while she was waiting for Jimmy to come up for their damn date, but it seemed the world had other ideas for her. And now here she was with a man she didn't know, miles away from her family, hoping he would keep her safe but the matter of the fact was that this man, Rick, knew about as much as she did....A different telling of The Walking Dead, where Beth starts off the journey with Rick, they find the group and she becomes a badass sooner rather than later. Though this is a Bethyl story so don't expect anything more from Rick and Beth other than friendship. :D
Relationships: Beth Greene & Maggie Greene, Beth Greene & Rick Grimes, Carl Grimes & Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon/Beth Greene, Lori Grimes/Rick Grimes, Maggie Greene/Glenn Rhee
Comments: 248
Kudos: 179





	1. Days Gone By

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I've wanted to write a Bethyl story for a long time and this has been on my laptop for some time so I decided to post. I hope you all enjoy it.
> 
> I don't own The Walking Dead.

"What are you even doing over there, Beth?" It was a fair question. One she knew the answer to but was scared to tell her friend, who would probably punch Jimmy when Beth let her know that she had been walking the streets for over an hour and a half, a good few miles away from her home. Her friend sighed through the phone and Beth knew she would have to tell her.

"I was supposed to meet Jimmy."

"And he ditched you?" She could practically she the expression on her friends face. Furrowed eyebrows and mouth turning downwards, running her fingers through her hair as she waited for Beth to answer yet again.

It wasn't like Beth wasn't annoyed. She was furious with her boyfriend, still didn't stop her from wishing that her friend wasn't. She had called her because she needed support but she didn't know what she was thinking because if her friend was annoyed then Maggie was going to be fuming and Shawn would probably be after the guy with a gun when he found out. "It looks like it, he hasn't called me or text me to let me know what's happening or where he even is."

"I told you that boy was just after one thing." 

"Maybe but I don't think he's mean enough to leave me stranded." Beth tried once again to defend him. She had been warned that Jimmy was only after sex many times but many of her friend but Beth had been stupid enough to think that it meant more. That he wouldn't leave her stranded, he didn't seem like that sort of guy but there was doubts in her head now.

"Stupid enough maybe." Her friend sighed as Beth wrapped her arms around herself, it was nearing summer but there was still a slight chill in the air and Beth wasn't exactly dressed for that. She was wearing her nicest jeans, ones without hay and the smell of farm all over them and a pretty pink top her mother had bought her for the date tonight. "Sweetie, just get in your car and go home, you've seen the news, those cannibals could be anywhere."

"That's why I'm calling you, the car broke down." 

"Have you called Maggie, your dad or even Shawn?" Beth's silence seemed to be the answer. "Beth." It felt like she was being scolded, told off for something that wasn't her fault. She didn't ask to be left in this town nor for her car to break down, but it seemed that's just the way things were going today for her.

"I can't - I just can't." Beth stopped speaking as she heard a growl nearby. Her phone was pressed tight to her ear as she looked around, unsure of what to make of the sound as she focused on the things around her. The streets were dead, not many cars in sight and the only thing that was nearby was a hospital.

She had been walking down the road without even paying too much attention to where she even was going. She wasn't familiar with this town, hers being the one over and even then she lived on the outskirts, twenty minutes away from her own town. But Jimmy had been insistent on meeting her for a day date, one where they could enjoy the whole day and maybe have a picnic. Only she drove for forty minutes and waited in the location he sent for nearly two hours and he didn't show.

"Beth, you ok?"

"Yeah just thought I - I'll call Maggie, she won't be happy but I know she'll come and get me." Beth said as she turned away from the noise, dazed and confused as she listened to her friend on the other side letting out a sigh of relief. Maggie would be annoyed and she would probably yell at her for going so far away or for not calling a tow truck right away but Beth couldn't even remember the way back to the car let alone how to tell someone where to collect it.

"Ok but call me the minute you get home."

"Will do." Beth hung up the call and looked around, there was another growl and it just made her more urgent to call her sister.

The hospital, its name at the top, a location to give Maggie. Beth sighed as she ran her fingers threw her ponytail, looking through her contacts for Maggie's number only to stop when something out of the corner of her eyes moved.

Beth turned on the spot fast, a man stumbling out from behind a car. It was like he was drunk, the grunts and groans leaving his mouth as he swayed, something she wasn't all that familiar with but had seen when her friends drank. Yet there was something off about the way he moved - it wasn't drink, it could have been drugs but she honestly wouldn't know. Her gut was turning in her stomach and there was a warning bell in her head but she ignored them both as she stepped forward.

"Excuse me, Sir, are you - " The man turned to look at her with a growl.

Turns out her gut was something she should have listened too. The hairs on the back of her neck rose and she stumbled backwards away from him. His eyes were wrong, a sharp yellow/almost gold surrounded by a red ring, on her like a hawk. There was blood around his mouth and his clothes, a large chunk of his arm was missing but he still raised it in her direction as he moved towards her.

The breath she didn't realise she had been holding was forced out of her as she stumbled backwards, back colliding painfully with sidewalk and her phone flying from her hand and into the road. The man began to move faster and Beth knew in a second she didn't have a chance at grabbing her phone without this man getting her so she jumped up, hand flying to her back and the mans fingers sliding through the tips if her hair as she ran.

The hospital was the only place she could see and it was the only destination around her. Her legs and back ached as she sprinted towards the door, aware of the man following behind her, his groans almost ringing through her ears.

Whatever she had been expecting from the hospital though, well it wasn't this. The people inside seemed equally as panicked as her, they rushed past her and paid her no mind, some were crying and some were even bleeding but Beth ignored them too as she ran towards the main desk but there was no one there. Her heart dropped as she reached out to grab the phone, stopping when she heard the shooting from above, the screams that followed and then the crash.

A groan left her mouth as her head collided with the side of the desk, but she didn't let it stop her as she stood up. She could hear the growls now, the people screaming and her only thought was to get away from here. Her legs were taking her away, towards the stairs without even thinking, not even stopping when a man in a police uniform ran by her without a second glance. No she just kept going up, bursting onto one floor and letting out a silent cry.

The ceiling had been shot, the wires hanging from it and there was dead people on the floor, but what scared her more was that just past a room with a gurney pushed against it was a bunch of those things with the same yellow eyes. Beth didn't even think as she flung open the first door she could grab onto, didn't even stop as she locked it behind her as the sounds of gun carried on. Tears were falling down her face as she sat behind some chairs, her hands were shaking and her breathing unsteady.

She had no idea how long she sat there staring ahead at the wall, as the world around her seemed to descended into chaos. It could have been days, the night and the day just seemed to blend into one, it didn't matter though because when things died down she still didn't move. All she could think of was how hungry and thirsty she was ; how quickly things had turned around.

A normal day had turned out to be one from hell.

Breakfast with her family, the laughs and taunts her and her siblings had shared seemed so far away now. Her playing dress up from her mother as they both decided what she should wear before her mother pulled out the brand new top. The happiness she had felt in the car as she sang along to the radio, not even caring how far away she was driving, ignoring the signs that had probably been around her. And to now hiding in a hospital room, aching back, a cut on the top of her head and almost being - she didn't even know what but a part of her brain wanted to say eaten - by a thing outside.

It was overwhelming and she just felt so tired and weak. That's what happens when you don't move for days.

...

It turned out she was in a staff room by the looks of things. Bags left on the sides from people who had probably been about to take a break when everything went down, some food left on the table though it had started to rot there pretty fast, as had the food in the fridge. But there was a vending machine in the corner and some water bottles in the cupboards. Enough to keep her going if she could ration it, hard to do when your stomach is twisting in hunger and your throat is parched for water but she would manage.

For the first time since she had stood up and the world had gone quiet apart from the flickering light in the hall and the buzzing of dying electricity, Beth made her way over to the window. It was dead. Literally everything was dead. The soldiers that seemed to have moved on or been killed had managed to lay the bodies outside, like a sick sort of graveyard with a helicopter in the middle. It was too much and too sickening to look at so she had no choice but to step away.

Her feet led her to the bags she had stacked in the corner, away from the food and the bin where she had no choice but to do her business. At first she hadn't wanted to look inside, there had been paracetamols and food that she could take but now she was curious. A part of her brain recognised that she wouldn't be able to stay here forever, if there was other people out there then a hospital would be one of the first places they came, but she had been adamant with herself that no matter how bad the world got she wouldn't go looting.

Times change though and she was alone in a hospital with no one to stop her.

The bags were full of things you would find in any other bag, keys, a charger, a wallet and phones. Beth had tried to reach her family with them all but the line was always dead. But there was a few good things inside she could use, tampons, plasters, a few tablets and other miscellaneous objects that could come in useful, all of them going inside a leather backpack with some food and water, beside the door in case she had to leave fast.

And that's where it stayed for the following however many days as Beth nibbled on her food and sipped her water, making sure to stay as quiet as she could. She had learned from her mistake of smashing the vending machine open when there had been a jangle of chains and groans from somewhere down the hall. It was dangerous to make noise, to be alone in this world.

But it seemed God always listened to those who prayed when he changed everything for her.

Beth had been nearly asleep when she heard it. The slapping of feet against cool tile, the slide of a gurney and at first she thought of hiding but instead she moved, backpack already on as she peeked through the door, opening it slowly so the lock didn't make as much sound. It was a man, pale and dressed in a hospital gown, shallow breaths escaping his lips as he moved towards the desk. Her first thought was he was one of those things but then he reached out, grabbing the phone and dropping it was a sigh.

There was a match lit, lighting up the dark that Beth had become more accustomed to. And then he was off down the halls again, Beth following behind him. He was the first person she had seen since she locked herself in this place, and she refused to be alone. To be scared and trapped when this man could clearly walk down the hall, confused and dazed but he could still do what she hadn't been able to do.

"Excuse me." Beth whispered, the man moved around fast and stared at Beth.

She imagined what she must look like. Grotty, hair hanging in a limp ponytail, body unwashed and sweat soaked clothes, dried blood on her head; she had tried to keep her wound clean but she didn't want to waste any water on unnecessary things: a stranger just staring at another stranger. "I - please don't leave." Beth whispered as he began to walk down the halls again, she followed after him.

He stumbled around the desk that had been in front of him, staring at the half eaten corpse as Beth did the same, her hand covering her mouth. She moved to stand beside him as he walked, he refused to look at her, probably thinking she was some insane person as he stared at the bullets and blood splatters all over the walls. They both stopped though as they noticed the iron doors at the end of the hall, a clear warning written on the front 'don't open, dead inside', it was held together by a chain and a pole.

The man stepped backwards as growls were heard and Beth felt her eyes begin to water as the hands came through the gap. She didn't even question what was in there, it was definitely the same as the man who had tried to grab her. "How - hey wait!" Beth hissed as the man began running.

He didn't wait as it turned out, he reached for the first door and headed inside and Beth had no choice but to follow behind him. Gagging when a putrid smell seemed to slap her across the face as she realised she was in a stairwell. She could hear him lighting the matches below, the sting of it burning his fingers before he pushed open a heavier door and Beth remembered she was meant to be following him.

Beth stepped outside after him, covering her eyes as the bright sun hit her face and blinded her eyes for a second. It had been her first time going outside in so long, having only seen the outside world from the safety of the staffroom, which meant she didn't expect the smell of the graveyard along with the sun. The bodies and helicopter she had seen were still there, the former rotting away in the Georgian heat and the man who she was so desperate to talk to was walking away from her, not even caring to look back at her.

It didn't stop her though as she followed him. Ever the persistent woman she was she tried to keep up with him, he still refused to look at her and she didn't blame him, she barely wanted to look at herself right now but she stayed a bit behind him, eyes watching him and him pretending she wasn't there.

Beth followed him to whatever neighbourhood street, watched him pick up a bicycle in the grass nearby, a rotted corpse with no legs and its face in the grass was beside it. She could see what was going to happen before it even did, the dead thing crawling it's way towards the man who stumbled backwards onto the ground. "Ah. Ah. Oh Shit." Beth tried her hardest to run to him but he was faster, he was on the bike and gone before she could even get there. The thing now focused on her as Beth moved away, heading towards the street the man had just turned left at.

A sigh left her mouth as she carried on down the streets, hoping he would be somewhere, her nails digging into the palms of her hands now. There was a bike on the street, thrown onto the path carelessly. Beth smiles as she begins to walk forward, watching as the man stumbled out of the house but there was someone else walking towards him and behind him and Beth didn't have a chance to say anything as the man turned, hit face first with a shovel.

"Daddy, Daddy!" The young boy shouted as Beth moved forward as fast as she could.

"Carl. Carl. I found you."

"Hey!" The two turned to look at Beth as the man rubbed his face. The other man who was one his feet shot the thing that Beth hadn't even seen. "What the hell did you just do?" Both people stared at her in shock as Beth glared at them, moving towards the man on the ground

"He say something? I thought I heard him say something." The man asked as Beth frowned, was she invisible now. The man on the ground finally seemed to have noticed she was beside him and was frowning at her like he was so confused as to what was happening. Beth didn't fully understand it herself, she had been following this man hoping that he would mean she wouldn't be alone but now there was two more people, one of them was almost definitely twelve.

"He called me Carl." The young boy whispered.

"Son, you know they don’t talk." The man explained. No they just groaned and tried their very best to eat you from what Beth had seen but to be fair she hadn't really been going out of her way to speak to them. "Hey, mister. What’s the bandage for?" The man spoke as he aimed his gun at the other man beside Beth.

"What are you doing?" Beth almost screamed as she stood up trying to push the gun away from the injured man. The man turned to look at her with a glare as he turned to point his gun at her.

"Don't think I won't be questioning you next girl." He hissed out as he tilted the gun downwards, Beth moved out of the way but the glared was still on her face even if it felt like she was shaking on the inside. This man in front of her was clearly in charge and Beth wasn't going to question that.

"What?"

"What kind of wound? You answer me, damn you. What’s your wound? You tell me - " The darker man asked as he cocked his revolver and continued to point it at the injured mans face. " - or I will kill you."

Beth turned to look at the man beside her, acting faster than she thought she could as she reached out in time to stop the man from falling backwards and cracking his head on the sidewalk. There was blood running from his nose and his eyes had just rolled into the back of his head, clearly he wasn't in the best health and had no idea what was going on but now there was some man in front of them still pointing his gun at them as his son, Beth guessed, was stood beside him holding a shovel.

...

"Did he tell you if he was bit?" 

"He didn't speak to me but I don't think he was bit." Beth whispered softly in the kitchen where she was leaning against one of the counters. Is that what those things did? They bit you?. The man, Morgan, and his son, Duane had taken them into the house. The other man was still passed out, now tied up to a bed downstairs and her Beth was vouching for him. She had yet to see any marks on his body.

"Doesn't matter." Morgan whispered back as he headed towards the other man, Beth following behind him. Duane was guarding the man who was slowly coming around, the boy had a baseball bat in his hand and was shaking slightly as though he was scared of what he would have to do.

"Girl changed that bandage changed for you. It was pretty rank. What was the wound?" Morgan asked as he stared down at the man. Beth sent him a small smile as the man looked at her with a frown.

"Gunshot."

"Gunshot? What else? Anything?" Morgan asked, he was pushing the man who just looked more confused than before like he didn't understand why he would have any other wounds. Beth sighed and let her head fall into her hands.

"Gunshot ain’t enough?" The man asked as he tried to sit up slightly but winced in pain as he did so. Beth tried to move forward but Morgan reached out an arm to stop her, like he was protecting her from this man she had followed out of a hospital. Beth shoved away his arm gently as she turned to glare at Morgan.

"I told you I didn't see anything else on him." Beth bit back as she tried to protect the man who was staring between her and Morgan. 

"How would you know girl? You barely checked him and there is no way you are out of high school let alone a qualified nurse." Morgan snapped, his dark eyes were now of Beth who rolled her eyes, she was used to the remarks of her looking younger than she was, especially from her siblings. She was eighteen though, unfortunately she never got to graduate. Or go to prom. Or do she should have been doing because the world had gone to shit it seemed.

"I think I can tell what a bite mark looks like." Beth mumbled lowly but Morgan ignored her. He moved slowly over to the bed, looking over the ties that kept the man to the headboard.

"Look, I ask and you answer. That’s common courtesy, right?" Morgan asked with a raised eyebrow as he leaned down close, he sighed as he stared at the man who looked back in confusion. "Did you get bit?" He spoke softer than he did before.

"Bit?"

"Bit, chewed, maybe scratched– Anything like that?" Morgan asked, the man just looked to Beth who sucked in a breath. She had been asked the same questions by Morgan when he first let them into the house. She had answered no, and she too had been confused as to why he would even think that. The same questions on her mind, falling from her lips but Morgan had yet to explain anything to her.

"No, I got shot. Just shot as far as I know." The man explained. Morgan reached out with his hand and Beth watched as the man flinched away from him. Beth moved forward, pushing Morgan's hand away.

"Let me." Beth spoke lowly to Morgan as she reached out a gentle hand to touch the mans forehead. His skin was cold against her hand and his eyes were watching her warily though he seemed to trust her more than Morgan. Maybe it was the big blue eyes or the way she had defended him outside, but whatever it was she was grateful. "His head feels fine, if anything too cool, if he had a fever then I would have noticed by now." She had been checking on his every few minutes since Morgan tied him to the bed and she changed his wound.

"I don’t think I have one."

"Be hard to miss." Morgan said with a scoff as he pulled a switchblade from out of his pants, holding it in front of the mans face as Beth let out a gasp and tried her best to pull it away from him but he gently pushed her away. "Take a moment, look how sharp it is." The man leaned his head away from the knife as he looked to Beth.

"Morgan!"

Morgan ignored Beth's hiss and her attempt to once again pull the knife from his hand. They had barely known each other a couple of hours but Beth had thrown all forms of politeness out of the window, at least from the moment. And Morgan well he was too busy threatening the man to pay her any attention. "You try anything, I will kill you with it and don’t you think I won’t." Morgan reached over to cut the ropes holding the man to the bed, his knife clicking back. "Come on out when you’re able. Come on." Morgan added to Duane as the father and son made there way out of the bedroom.

Rick moved to lay on his side, holding his wrist as Beth moved to sit where Duane had just vacated. She looked at him, marks around his wrists, injured side and confusion in his eyes and she couldn't help but feel sorry for him. She couldn't imagine how it would feel to wake up and see what he had seen without any explanation, she had been awake for it all and she could barely explain to him.

"I'm sorry about him." Beth said under her breath, the man looked up to her and frowned again, he moved slowly so his legs were hanging off the edge. "I did try to stop him but well I've barely known him two hours so he didn't really listen to me." Beth explained, she was rambling a bit so she cut herself off with a slight laugh.

"It's fine, I think, I'm Rick by the way." The man mumbled as he continued frowning at Beth before he tried to stand up. Beth reached out fast in an attempt to help him, her arm wrapping strongly around his waist. She would forever be grateful for working on a farm and being stronger than she looked.

"Beth." She said, he looked her up and down again with a frown as he realised who she was. "I didn't mean to frighten you at the hospital, I just hadn't had company for a while - well since whatever this all started - and then you came out and I had been in that room so long, I didn't think how it would look to someone else." Rick nodded his head, a tight smile on his face as he seemed to understand but the confusion still lingered in his eyes.

....

It took the two a while to head over to where they could hear the ladle scraping against a pan, after all Rick had be insistent that he needed to cover his shorts with the blanket and Beth had not wanted to make him more embarrassed than he seemed to be. So she waited and then continued helping him to the dining room table where Morgan and Duane were sat down eating a meal.

"This place – it's Fred and Cindy Drakes’." Rick explained as he looked around, taking in the things that seemed familiar to him. Beth gently removed her arm from around his waist, he seemed more stable now, not swaying on his feet as much so she moved closer towards the food. Her stomach was growling and her mouth was almost watering.

"Never met ‘em." Morgan mumbled as he looked between the two of them. There was almost a guilty look in his eyes as he moved to look down and Beth guessed it was staying someone else's home. There was guilt there for her too, it didn't seem right but what else were they supposed to do.

"I’ve been here. This is their place."

Morgan didn't say anything as he looked to Beth, his eyes downcast but he was suddenly jumping up from his seat and rushing towards Rick who was about to pull to curtain back before he moved backwards as Morgan pulled it from his hand and turned to glare at him. He had done the same to Beth when she tried it, though he had been much gentler about it as he pulled her away.

"Why do I keep having to tell you guy not to do that? They’ll see the light. There’s more of them out there than usual. I never should’ve fired that gun today. Sound draws them. Now they’re all over the street. Stupid – using a gun. But it all happened so fast, I didn’t think." Morgan hissed out as he picked up a large tin can with towels in it, setting it on the table. He picked up a sterno can afterwards and blew it out.

Rick and Beth watched him, Rick turning to look at the window before he walked away and towards the table, sitting himself down at Morgan did but Beth couldn't. There was something in her that was warning her to stay on her feet, to be prepared should something happen, she had after all spent the past few - days? weeks? months? locked in a room by herself only listening to the humming of dying electricity, the groans of the things and herself breathing.

And now here she was with three other people all causally sat around a table eating as though it was normal. If she listened carefully she could hear the things outside, she didn't feel safe here in someone else's house with an injured Rick and Morgan who was 'prepared' to kill them if anything happened.

"You shot that man today." Rick said suddenly and Beth could see his back straightening. She thought back to when she watched Morgan shoot the man, she had been more focused on trying to get to Rick than paying attention to the murder that had happened right before her eyes. And yet she had followed the man inside the house, watched him put Rick on a bed without a doubt. How stupid of her.

"Man?"

"It weren’t no man." Duane muttered with wide eyes as he shook his head. Beth tensed her shoulders as Rick sent her a look.

"What the hell was that out of your mouth just now?" Morgan turned to his son to ask, it reminded her so much of her father. Maggie was always the one to curse, Beth had never let her father hear such things come from her mouth and Shawn - well he never seemed to even think about uttering such things in front of their parents.

"It wasn’t a man."

"You shot him in the street out front – a man." Rick said, his voice was even sterner now as he pointed behind him. Beth sat up straighter as she waited for Morgan to explain to them what was going on, she had less of a clue than Rick, well maybe a bit more since she had been awake for it all but she had been too scared to do what Morgan had done and venture out into the world.

"Friend, you need glasses. It was a walker." Morgan explained slowly. So they had a name for them, in Beth's head she had just called them things but Walker made some sense in a way. In a way in her head it made it seem less human to her, she could differentiate them now, put a name to the things outside. Morgan turned to look at her and sighed. "Come on girl, sit down. Here. Eat" 

"It's Beth." She whispered as she moved to sit down, her shoulders still tense though she did smile slightly when Morgan passed both her and Rick a plate. While she was hungry, she ate slow, knowing that food was always one of the first things to go but it seemed Rick didn't have that problem as he grabbed a spoon, eating hungrily without much thought. He hadn't had to ration in a small room like she had, wondering what would happen if she had ran out of food before she could force herself into the world outside.

"Daddy, blessing." Duane muttered. Beth looked away as Duane reached out to take her other hand while she gently placed her other hand in Ricks. This reminded her too much of her own family where she would sit between her daddy and Maggie, heads bowed and hands clasped together, a pray or a verse leaving her dads lips before they ate.

She wasn't sure she wanted to do this. To sit and pray to a God who had brought back the dead, had killed off what seemed most of the population of Georgia but that wasn't how she was raised. Her father had made them all good Christians, and yes well her and her siblings did sometimes not follow all the rules, mainly Maggie, she could not not believe in God.

"Lord, we thank thee for this food, thy blessings." Beth closed her eyes as Morgan spoke, voice low and raspy. She silently prayed herself that this was all one bad dream and any moment she would wake up in her bed. "And we ask you to watch over us in these crazy days. Amen."

"Amen."

Beth picked at her food as Rick and Duane inhaled theirs. Her and Morgan made eye contact a few times, he gestured for her to eat up but she couldn't. There was just a feeling in her stomach that something was going to go wrong, a feeling that she hadn't even realised she had been carrying around since she left the safety of her little hospital room. She was scared and she had no idea what to do anymore.

Fear had always been paralysing for her. The first time she got on a horse she had sat there for what seemed like eternity, scared she would be thrown off. When Jimmy had asked her on their first date she had simply stared at him in shock. Fear was her worst enemy, it crippled her, made her seem weak and vulnerable as her mind tried to figure a way out of the cupboard it had locked itself in. This world they were living in now wasn't made for her, wasn't made for people who couldn't open a door and step outside; who couldn't even try to be brave.

"You two even know what’s going on?" Morgan asked after a few seconds. Rick looked to Beth like he was waiting for her to answer but she just shook her head.

"I woke up today in the hospital, came home, that’s all I know."

"I locked myself in a room the moment one of those things tried to grab me." Beth explained, her head down as though what she had done was wrong. "Didn't come out until I saw Rick."

"Think a lot of people probably did the same. But you know about the dead people, right?" Morgan asked with a raised eyebrow. Beth turned to Rick and waited for him to speak. She had no clue what was going on.

"Yeah, I saw a lot of that out on the loading dock, piled in trucks." Beth had forgotten about them. Was that how it was going to be now? The dead littered everywhere and it wouldn't be the main focus. Or maybe it was because she had tried not to stare at them, tried to not focus on them as she ran after the man she was sat next to now.

"No, not the ones they put down. The ones they didn’t– the walkers, like the one I shot today. ‘Cause he’d have ripped into you, tried to eat you, taken some flesh at least." Morgan explained with no tact. Beth stared at him in shock while Rick seemed to be stumbling over what had just been said to him, Morgan seemed to see it too as he carried on speaking. "Well, I guess if this is the first you’re hearing it, I know how it must sound."

"They’re out there now?" Rick asked as he turned to look at the curtain covered window, moving to fast and wincing. "In the street?"

"Yeah. They get more active after dark sometimes. Maybe it’s the cool air or hell, maybe it’s just me firing that gun today. But we’ll be fine as long as we stay quiet. Probably wander off by morning." Morgan was rambling a bit and all Beth could do was stare at him as he continued. "But listen, one thing I do know – don’t you get bit. I saw your bandage and that’s what we were afraid of. Bites kill you. The fever burns you out. But then after a while…you come back." Well that was some news to her.

"Seen it happen." Beth turned to look at Duane as he spoke, watching as Morgan reached out to squeeze his sons arm. It seemed they had lost someone and Beth couldn't help but wonder who.

"Come on."

The three men finished eating but Beth was stuck in her own mind. What if something had happened to her family? What if one of them had been bit? She had no idea and she didn't know if she wanted to know anymore. Were they even worried about her? Did they think she was dead? Would it be better if they carried on thinking like that? Beth had no idea but there was far too much on her mind right now.

  
...

  


Beth was sat on the couch with Rick, he was still wrapped in the blanket, his head leaning back on the back of the couch while Morgan sat on the sleeping pallet that he had set up for him and Duane to share. They could hear the crickets chirping in the night, the only sound that was between the three of them.

It had given Beth time to think, to push those questions away. Her wish of not being alone or trapped in her room was finally true and she didn't know if she wanted it anymore. A pair scissors, the she had taken from the kitchen, were in her hands and she was turning them over, ignoring the dirt that was under her nails, the way her already greasy hair was tickling the back of her neck. She had a feeling that this wouldn't be the first time she would be dirty.

"Carl - he your son? Well, you - you said his name today." Morgan finally spoke up, Beth frowned as she turned to Rick who was staring down at his blanket covered lap. He nodded his head and let out a little cough as his eyes filled up with tears.

"He’s a little younger than your boy." Rick said softly as he looked at Duane who was laid behind his father. Beth had kind have forgotten he was there he was so quiet.

"And he’s with his mother?"

"I hope so." For Ricks sake Beth hoped so too. She couldn't imagine what it was like to not know where your child and wife were in the world. Whether they were safe or even dead but she admired Rick's optimism.

"Dad?" Morgan turned back to look at Duane who was looking incredibly tired, eyes half closed as he looked back at his father, eyes flicking to Rick. "Did you ask him?" Morgan chuckled as he turned back to look at Rick.

"Your gunshot? We’ve got a little bet going. My boy says you’re a bank robber." Beth chuckled to as Rick laughed. For whatever reason she couldn't imagine that Rick had been the guy to rob a bank. He just didn't seem like the kind.

"Yeah, that’s me, deadly as Dillinger. Kapow!" He whispered towards Duane who was staring at Rick with wide eyes. Morgan chuckled catching onto Rick's sarcasm. "Sheriff’s Deputy"

A car alarm suddenly went off, Beth jumping along with Duane who almost started crying. It was strange to hear some of the most familiar noises in a quiet world. Rick moved slowly almost ready to look outside and see what had happened as Duane let out a soft whimper but Morgan held up his hand.

"Hey. It’s okay. Daddy’s here. It’s nothing. One of them must have bumped a car." Morgan explained softly as he rubbed Duane's shoulder. Beth felt her heart go out to the boy who was now growing up in a world filled with monsters when he really should be out playing with friends, having sleepovers and whatever else almost teenage boys did.

"Are you sure?"

"It happened once before. It went on for a few minutes. Get the light, Duane." Morgan whispered as his son moved to turn down the light. Beth moved to turn down the second one before she followed Rick and Morgan to the window, the alarm sound slightly louder.

The window was at the front of the house, covered in loose curtains and blankets that were used to try and keep the light in. Morgan carefully pulled them aside, stepping away so that Rick and Beth could peer outside. Beth didn't flinch as her head was right beside Rick, she could smell him though she didn't blame him, he had after all woken up from a coma and he could probably smell her. She had trapped herself in a room, done her business in a corner and not brushed her teeth in days.

Though none of that mattered as they stared out into the street where there seemed to be more than thirty bodies were shuffling around outside. There were several of them grabbing around the Sedan, it's lights flashing as the alarm continued going off as the dead continued to try and figure out what was inside it.

"It’s the blue one, on the street. The same one as last time. I think we’re okay." Morgan explained, he was talking more to Duane, voice soft and calming but Beth couldn't help but let out the little breath she had been holding.

"Won’t the noise bring more of them?" Beth asked as she recalled what Morgan had said earlier about shooting his gun and it attracting more. They were like animals it seemed, attracted by noise, sight and smell and everything else they just didn't seem to have a clue about.

"Nothing we can do about it now. Just have to wait ‘em out till morning."

"She’s here." Duane gasped quite loudly. Beth hadn't even noticed that he had was now stood between her and Rick as he stared out the blankets pointing at a woman that was on the street. There was something familiar about her and as Beth looked down at Duane she figured out what it was, her mouth falling open in a sad gasp.

"Don’t look. Get away from the windows. I said go. Go on." Morgan told his son who reluctantly left the window though they could all hear his sobs as he moved to lay on his bed.

Beth turned away from the window too and moved towards Duane only for Morgan to stop her, he didn't comfort his son but instead tried to muffle the sobs. It was sad to see that the boy couldn't even be able to mourn who Beth was certain was his mother outside.

Beth could hear Morgan speaking in the background softly to his son but her eyes were on Rick who had moved away from the window, placing the blanket back into place. The man made his way towards the front door, peering out of the peep hole and watching the woman make her way onto the porch. Beth looked over her shoulder to see Morgan pulling his son into his lap, picking up a pillow.

"It’s okay. Here, cry into the pillow. Do you remember? Shh shh." Morgan whispered but his eyes were on Rick and Beth's were too. A frown making it's way onto her face as the doorknob was turned slowly and Rick began backing away with wide eyes.

"She died in that other room on that bed in there. There was nothing I could do about it. That fever, man, her skin gave off heat like a furnace." Morgan explained, Duane was still crying into the pillow, shoulder shaking and Beth felt her heart break even more for the boy. "I should’ve put her down, man. I should’ve put her down. I know that, but I - You know what? I just didn’t have it in me. She’s the mother of my child." The rattling continued and Beth moved to sit back on the couch as Rick joined her.

No one spoke for the rest of the night. Rick managed to sleep and Morgan did too for a couple of hours after making Beth promise to wake him should something happen. She had nodded but had refused to sleep herself. The fear was too strong and she was in a house with complete strangers.

....

The morning was fresh and Beth was grateful to be back outside, the walkers all seeming to be gone except for one laying against the picket fence outside of the house. It hadn't noticed them yet for whatever reason and to be honest Beth was hoping that it would stay that way.

"Are we sure they’re dead?" Rick asked, everyone turned to look at him with raised eyebrows, even little Duane. "I have to ask at least one more time."

"They dead, except for something in the brain. That’s why it’s got to be the head." Morgan explained. Beth nodded her head as she fumbled with the kitchen knife she had found, it would probably be better than the small scissors she had before, though not by much. Still it was something.

Rick approached the walker, it turned it's head noticing them all, hissing and growling between it's teeth as it began to get up but Rick lifted the baseball bat above his head, hitting the walker over the head with a grunt. He stumbled backwards to the ground, Beth running over to help him up even if he looked like he might be ready to throw up all over her.

"Rick are you alright? You shouldn't do too much." Beth told him as he leaned onto her arm, Morgan rushing to hold Rick's other side while Duane picked up the baseball bat. The three helped Rick move over to his house, Duane following behind him as they opened the door and sat him down at the kitchen table.

Beth could imagine that his wife was the sort of woman who liked a clean house, who cooked food every night and made sure to look after her husband. A typical southern belle. She had imagine pictures of the walls and an apron on the wall but his house was a mess and there was nothing on the walls anymore.

"They’re alive, my wife and son. At least they were when they left." Rick explained, Beth couldn't help her throat closing up. She too wanted to believe her family were still alive, safe and sound on their farm but everyday it seemed that hope died a bit more.

"How can you know? By the look of this place -"

"I found empty drawers in the bedroom. They packed some clothes. Not a lot, but enough to travel." Rick carried on like he hadn't heard Morgan and Beth couldn't help but want to step in.

"You know anybody could’ve broken in here and stole them clothes, right?" It didn't sound like her. Like the hopeful eighteen year old who believed that good was always around them, that was so hopeful and optimistic other people couldn't help but roll their eyes at her. But that girl was hidden behind the scared one who had watched the military shoot a bunch of people while she cowered under a bed, who had walked past dead bodies outside a hospital and watched dead people come back to life.

"You see the framed photos on the walls? Neither do I. Some random thief take those too, you think? Our photo albums, family pictures - all gone." Rick said with an amused glance. Beth looked at the walls, it was obvious there had once been photos there by the discoloured squares on the walls.

"Photo albums." Morgan said with a chuckle as he moved to sit in a chair across from Rick. "My wife – same thing. There I am packing survival gear; she’s grabbing photo alb…" Morgan didn't finish his sentence as tears filled his eyes and his bottom lip began to wobble.

"They’re in Atlanta, I bet." Duane said with a shrug like it was no new information but Beth turned to look at him.

"Why would they be there?" Beth asked, Rick opening his mouth to probably ask the same thing as she had. What was there in Atlanta? Beth had breifly recalled something on the last thing of the news she watched but she couldn't remember what it was for the life of her.

"Refugee centre. A huge one they said, before the broadcast stopped. Military protection, food, shelter. They told people to go there, said it’d be safest." Morgan explained and Beth nodded her head. Would her parents be there? Maggie? Shaun? She doubted it but she had no other place to go.

"Plus they got that disease place." Duane added.

"The Centre for Disease Control. Said they were working out how to solve this thing." Morgan said after a few seconds. Rick and Beth looked to each other, almost as if they were in agreement that they were going to stick together through this. Rick broke his gaze and moved to a cupboard, opening it and taking some keys off the hook.

  
...

The lock clicked out of place as Rick moved to push the door open, light flooding the room with light. He had brought them to the Sherriff's Department, saying there would be clean water and protection that they could use.

Beth followed behind him as he moved to the shower room, turning the knob and smiling as clean water came out as the pipes groaned. Beth let out an excited little laugh as the boys left the room, giving her chance to shower without them there. At least they still had privacy.

The water was almost scolding as she stepped under it, a grateful shudder leaving her body with a few tears. She had never appreciated showers before, being clean, her fruity shampoos and body lotions. How trivial the whole thing seemed now as she watched the dirt flush down the drain, her whole body tingling as she scrubbed her skin raw with a bar of soap and her hair with basic shampoo. She knew she would get dirty again, this was their life now and access to clean water would be rare, and while she wanted to stand in this stream forever she couldn't.

It would only ever wash away the dirt, it couldn't wash away her fears or anything else that seemed to plague her and with that thought she shut off the water. Her hair would be a mess of tangled curls in a ponytail and the clothes she had borrowed were far too big for her, but even if it only lasted a few seconds, for the first time in days she felt slightly more like herself. It seemed the boys did too as they all sighed under the hot water, Duane was even singing.

Morgan was the first one to finish, Beth turned her eyes away as he dressed but followed him when he tapped her shoulder as Rick and Duane began to dress themselves. He led her to the front room where a desk sat, papers everywhere and even some blood, she couldn't be too sure.

"I need to ask you, girl, just to be one hundred percent sure - are you sure you don't want to stay here for a few days?" Morgan asked. There had been a brief discussion, Rick was adamant on going to Atlanta and Beth was going with him. That was all they knew so far. "I can take you back to your home if you want before I join Rick." Beth sighed as she rubbed her face, catching a few loose curls.

It was a tempting offer. She could go home and see if anything remained of her family, if not she would join Morgan and they would head to Atlanta together and meet up with Rick. Truthfully she wanted nothing more than to go home and see her family but there was something stopping her. What if they were all dead? The image alone was too much to think about - and she was scared. Scared to face her home, scared to learn the truth and worried about leaving Rick alone.

For whatever reason something inside her trusted that he would do his very best to keep her safe. He wouldn't leave her and he wouldn't turn his back on her despite what happened in the hospital, though she couldn't blame him for that. Rick needed her now, he had a child out there, a wife, and Beth wanted nothing more than to help those too. And if she was honest, if she said she wanted to go home then she knew Rick would stop everything, put his own worries on hold and get her back to the farm.

"No I'm going with Rick." Beth said firmly. It was the most confident she had ever felt about something, it felt like the right choice. A hard one, in more than one way she was turning her back on her family to help someone else but maybe - just maybe - her family would be in Atlanta, safe and sound in the camp and looking for her too.

"If you're sure then alright, but if you change your mind - "

"Then I'll let you know." Beth told him, he patted her shoulder and moved back to the locker room, leaving her alone to process everything.

...

What Beth thought was about half an hour later from her talk with Morgan, the four had moved into the back of the police station, one only for the officers. It was dark as they stood around the weapons cage, watching with wide eyes as Rick opened it up and moved aside for everyone to stand inside. Beth had never really seen that many guns in her life, her daddy had two shotguns and he kept them hidden from most people, but to here in front of this many guns with a sheriff beside her (hat and all) made her want to step away as though she had done something wrong.

"A lot of its gone missing." Rick explained as he took a riffle down as Beth looked over the smaller handguns, reaching out gingerly to take one as her eyes drifted to Rick. He nodded at her, reaching around to take one down and place one in her hand. "Know how to shoot?" He asked and for the first time in a while Beth felt a smirk form on her face.

"Grew up on a farm and daddy made sure we at least knew the basics, might need reminding though." Beth explained as she tested the weight in her hands, not that she knew much about it, but it felt uncomfortable, not weight wise that was pretty perfect to her, just that she didn't want to have to use this ever.

"Daddy, can I learn to shoot? I’m old enough." Duane asked as Beth looked at him. She didn't want to think of a child holding a gun but it seemed the world would be pushing them that why and she didn't want anything to happen to him. But it was a matter of life and death now and if having a gun meant you were safer then she would take it, even if it meant watching a child lose a small part of their innocence.

"Hell yes, you’re gonna learn, but we’ve got to do it carefully, teach you to respect the weapon." Morgan nodded as he spoke.

"That’s right. It’s not a toy. You pull the trigger, you have to mean it. Always remember that, Duane." Rick turned to look at Beth as he spoke and she couldn't help but let her head fall. There was no doubt going to be a time when walkers weren't the most dangerous things in the world, when food ran out and people became desperate. When all that was left was the bad people. And Rick was checking she would be ready for that, Beth wasn't sure she ever would be.

"Yes sir."

...  


  
Beth pushed open the inside door, holding it open as Rick made his way out, bag full of guns and ammo, reminding Beth off the gun tucked into the holster Rick had given her. Morgan and Duane followed behind, holding their own bag as the four of them stopped by the stairs with sad smiled.

"Conserve your ammo. It goes faster than you think, especially at target practice." Rick said to them. Beth ducked her head, they probably wouldn't have time for target practice as they headed to Atlanta but hopefully she would never have to use her gun.

"Duane?" Morgan asked, his son looking up at him before he handed him the bag of guns. "Take this to the car." Duane didn't question it as he took the bag and headed to the car behind them.

"Are you sure you won’t come along?" Beth asked shyly. She hadn't questioned heading with Rick when he said he was going to Atlanta. She could have asked him to take her home but something in her gut was saying it wouldn't be good, the scared part of her didn't want to see what had probably become of her family so instead she just stayed with Rick. But the thought of leaving Morgan and Duane behind made her worried for them.

"A few more days. By then Duane will know how to shoot and I won’t be so rusty." Morgan explained but Beth could see that there was another reason behind it. Rick nodded his head as he reached into his cruiser while Morgan looked over to check on Duane. There was a whine as Rick turned around with a walkie-talkie in his hand.

"You’ve got one battery." Rick handed Morgan the walkie as he spoke. "I’ll turn mine on a few minutes every day at dawn. You get up there, that’s how you’ll find me." Beth smiled but it was sad.

"You think ahead."

"Can’t afford not to, not anymore."

"Listen, one thing." Beth had a feeling Morgan was going to tell them something else they should have already known. "They may not seem like much one at a time, but in a group, all riled up and hungry. You guys got to watch your ass." That much was already clear to Beth and it seemed to be to Rick.

"You too." The two men clasped hands.

"You’re a good man, Rick. I hope you find your wife and son." Morgan spoke softly as he let go of Rick's hand and turned to Beth, resting a hand on her shoulder with a sigh. "Stay safe girl, I hope you find your family soon. Rick, look after the little lady" Beth nodded her head, chuckling slightly at his nickname for her as Rick nodded his head, her throat closing up slightly and her eyes pricking with tears. She didn't ask him as she reached in to wrap her arms around him, feeling him chuckle and pat her back.

He had helped them both. Taken them in and given them food and a place to sleep. He hadn't judged Beth when he found out she had followed Rick and in the small time they had known each other he had offered her kindness. Both of them.

"Be seeing you, Duane." Rick said as he reached down to shake Duane's hand, the boy smiling up at him. "Take care of your old man." Morgan rolled his eyes and took a step back to his care.

"Yes sir. Bye Beth." Beth smiled and ruffled his hair as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She clung to him tight and chuckle as she wiped a stray tear. Known these two for a day and she was already crying at the thought of leaving them behind.

Morgan tensed as he looked over there shoulder, he pulled Duane away from Beth slowly as the other two turned to look where Morgan had been staring. There was a walker dressed in a sheriffs uniform stumbling towards the chain link fence, a chain wrapped around his left hand. Rick moved closer to the fence, head tilting to the side as he stared at the walker.

"Leon Basset?" Rick questioned, he waited as though the walker would answer back but all it did was continue to growl at them. "I didn’t think much of him, he was careless and dumb but I can’t leave him like this."

"You know they’ll hear the shot." Beth whispered as she moved to stand beside him staring into the dead yellow eyes of the walker. The skin on his fingers was beginning to peal slightly from where it was trying to grasp at them, it's mouth hanging open limply. Strange though all Beth could feel for it was sympathy.

"Let’s not be here when they show up."

"Let’s go, son. Come on." Beth turned to look over her shoulder as she watched Morgan and Duane climbed into the car, slamming the doors closed behind them before she turned back to look at Rick. The walker was now pushed against the fence, almost rabid about trying to get to its food, like they were stood there tormenting it.

Rick cocked his gun and Beth - she should have turned away but instead she forced herself to stare as Rick pulled the trigger. Blood and pus shot from the walkers head as it fell to the ground. And then they were moving as fast as they could towards Ricks cruiser, pulling out behind Morgan's jeep, the two honking at each other. Rick flashed his siren quickly and turned it off just as quickly.

...

"There is something I need to do." Beth recognised where they had pulled up. The same place where he had found the bicycle and she watched as he left the car. She didn't follow, she knew this was something he needed to do himself.

Beth didn't have to wait long, she heard the shot of a gun and shivered in her seat. The walker he had once seen was probably laid fully dead on the ground now, out of whatever misery it had previously been in. Beth almost wished she had been able to put it down herself.

Rick ducked back into the car, sending her a soft smile as he turned the car back on and began driving. He coughed as they headed out onto the country road, fields passing by them. It reminded Beth of her own family, she was so close to them in a way and yet she refused to say anything. She refused to ask Rick to take her there because she didn't want to go there.

"You good?"

"Yeah I'm fine, just hoping Atlanta is safe." Beth told him as she hung her head and picked at her nails. It was partly the truth, it was a wish too as she turned to stare out into the fields. There was a few stumbling walkers around but not enough to scare her. "How is your wound?"

"Good, I never got to thank you for cleaning it." Rick said softly as he began to fiddle with his radio. Beth nodded her head, a slight blush on her face.

"Not a problem." And then the conversation was finished as Rick picked up his car radio, fiddling with the buttons as it crackled. Beth waited to hear a voice or a song like she would have done before but there was nothing but crackling until Rick spoke.

"Broadcasting on Emergency Channel. Will be approaching Atlanta on highway 85. Anybody reads, please respond." Rick spoke clearly and loudly through the radio but there was nothing but static back. "Hello. Hello. Can anybody hear my voice? Anybody out there? Anybody hears me, please respond. Hello, can you hear my voice?" He sighed and moved to put down the radio but Beth took it from his hand and raised it up to her own mouth.

"Hello. Can anybody hear us?" There was static but Beth could swear she heard someone. A young woman mixed in with the static. Beth turned to Rick with wide eyes but it didn't seem like he heard anyone. "Didn't you hear that?"

"What?"

"Hello! Can you hear my voice?" Beth asked but all there was now was static as the car continued down the farm roads. Beth let her head fall back with a sigh as Rick continued to look between her and the road. "If anybody reads please respond." Beth tried one last time but nothing happened, she handed the radio back to Rick who sent her a sorry smile.

"Broadcasting on emergency channel. Will be approaching Atlanta on Highway 85. If anybody reads, please respond." Beth listened as they carried on driving, Rick kept the radio on for her, let her fiddle with it but in the end neither heard anything. 

It felt like a punch to the stomach, though she wasn't sure what they would have done if they had heard someone. They were heading to Atlanta, not picking up more people for their journey. They were on there way to look for Ricks wife and kid.

Yet nothing felt like a bigger punch in the gut than when the car began to splutter, empty on gas. Rick sighed as Beth nodded her head, watching as he reached out in front of her and pulled out a photo of a dark haired woman and child. Beth wanted nothing more than to have a photo of her family, to see those green eyes of Maggie's as she tormented her or the way Shaun would throw his arm around her shoulder but the only photo she had was the one in her head.

Beth climbed out of the car giving Rick his moment as he tucked the photo in his pocket and instead moved to the trunk. Pulling out the leather backpack that she had put more food and water into and letting Rick grab the ammo bag and the gas can. The two of them made their way down the highway, aware they might not come back to the car.

"So you grew up on a farm?" Rick asked suddenly as they carried on down the street. His voice was just low enough that she could hear it, low enough that they hopefully wouldn't attract walkers but Beth had her weapons on hand, ready in case they happened to cross one. It was strange to think that Rick was just trying to have a casual conversation with someone who had stuck onto him like glue since the moment he woke up.

"Yeah, just on the outskirts of Senoia." Beth said with a small smile as she thought back to the white house and its fields of land. Rick nodded his head as he looked forward, turning ever so slightly as he looked out over the fields like he was hoping to find his own farmhouse out there.

"How come you were in King County then?" Rick asked as he turned to look at her now with an intrigued smile, like he genuinely was interested and not just trying to pass the time with idle conversation. Maybe these mattered more now in times like these, the were the things you held onto to remain who you were when everything else felt distant. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"No I do, just a bit of a shi- stupid reason. My boyfriend was supposed to meet me and he never turned up." Beth explained as she frowned, her throat clenched slightly as she finally understood the reason why. "I was angry and now maybe I can't help but think he might have and one of those things got him."

"Possibly, but for now why don't we just carry on thinking he's a dick, lessens the guilt slightly." Rick whispered to her as though he was telling her a secret and Beth couldn't help the grateful surprised laugh that fell from her throat. The truth was she would never know, she wasn't going to go back to King County and search the town nor was she going to head home, knock on his door and see if he answered. Rick was right it was easier to think he was alive, had just been a dick and that was it than to think he might be dead somewhere or even a walker.

"How did you get shot?" Beth asked, Rick turned to look at her again before he sighed and stared forward. Beth cringed, she didn't mean for that to come out but she was curious, he was the Sheriff's Deputy with a bullet hole in his side.

"Car chase, we missed one man and he got me, honestly it's a bit of a blur." 

"I'm sorry."

"No reason to be sorry, you're only curious." Rick said with a wave of his hand as Beth nodded her head and the two carried on walking. They would ask questions sometimes, just random things to get to know each other that seemed pointless but made both of them smile fondly. 

Beth learnt of his wife, Lori and his son, Carl. He talked slightly of the little traditions they had, pancake Sunday even if they tasted horrible and in turn Beth told Rick about Spaghetti Tuesdays every Wednesday. She told him about Maggie and Shawn, about her parents and the farm. It was easy to talk to him, he didn't judge but simply smiled and laughed along as though he was familiar with what she was saying. It comforted her more than she let on and it seemed to do the same for Rick too.

"Guess we'll have to find some spaghetti and pancakes then, make a new tradition." Rick suggested making Beth smile, it was half sad but full of hope. They weren't going anywhere anytime soon, he was going to stick by her and that was enough for her. She had found a friend it seemed, and in this world Lord knows she was going to need them. "Hey is that a house?"

Beth turned quickly as she followed where Rick pointed ahead of them. A small farmhouse just a few feet in front of them.

It was silent though as the two of them made their way to the door, Rick placing his bags down as he steps up to the porch while Beth stops there. "Hello? Police officer out here. Can I borrow some gas?" No one answered as Rick shouted and Beth couldn't help but tense up as she moves forward and begins peering into the house as Rick stays on the porch, knocking on the door.

Beth holds back the sob that threatens to escape her throat as she looks inside the living room window, there are flies buzzing around inside and a man on the couch. A small bullet hole in his head with a dried blood leaving it and a shotgun by his head, dropped nearby. But at his feet is a woman, also shoot dead and above the couch on the wall is a message written in blood 'God forgive us.'

It shook her to her core and makes her believe in her decision more to follow Rick. If this house in the middle of nowhere could be like this then what was her own home like. Rick must have seen the same thing as he pats her back and heads towards a pick up truck while Beth wipes away the streaky tears and heads towards the field.

"Hey Rick!" Beth shouts, not too loud but loud enough that he will heard. A smile makes its way to her pale face as she takes in the beautiful brown horse stood there nickering and neighing. Rick follows behind her with a frown.

"You know how to get that thing?" He asks and Beth turns to glare at him.

"Farm girl remember, can ride a horse better than I can drive a car." Beth explains as she opens the gate, grabbing the lead on it and approaching the horse carefully, her hand outstretched as it moves backwards slightly. "Hey boy, hey. I won't hurt you, that's it boy. We are gonna get you some food and water, you just got to help us get to Atlanta, think you can do that?" Beth asked as she managed to touch the horse, dragging her hand gently down its snout and easing the rope around it's neck. It nuzzled into her face and she sent a smile to Rick.

It didn't take her long to saddle the horse up and climb on, it was like second nature to her at this point and a grin was on her face as she sat on the back of the horse, feeling at home for the first time since the hospital. Although she had to admit it was amusing to watch Rick try to climb up, the wary expression on his face as he managed to get up behind her, his hands gripping on tight to her backpack and the front of his hat knocking into the back of her head. But she didn't care. There was grin on her face for the first time in a while.

She began slowly at first, feeling Rick grip tighter onto her as the horse began a steady pace before she giggled and kicked her legs inwards. Rick let out a small cry as the horse began riding, her backpack hitting upwards and causing him to let go and grip her side. It reminded her of when she first took Jimmy for a ride, racing through the fields as fast as she could, only without the romance obviously. The horse seemed happy to be riding again, it's hooves hitting the pavement hard.

...

There's not a worry in her mind until they approach Atlanta.

The skyscrapers ahead of them, looming over in an ominous fashion. Everything had seemed great, not a walker in sight, it gave her hope that something was happening but that suddenly disappeared as she slowed the horse down and took a look around. There were birds in the sky but that was the only sound so far. The divided highway was blocked outbound and the inbound lane was empty.

There should have been military blocking the entrance or something but instead it was the same silence. It wasn't the Atlanta Beth was familiar with, the one full of noise and people everywhere when she visited Maggie. The one that always seemed so busy even during the night. No this was different, it made her throat close and her hands wrap tighter around the leather of the lead. Her stomach was turning and Rick seemed to grip onto her even tighter.

Birds cawed as they made their way through the street, flying out of their way as they took in several skyscrapers that seemed to have been bombed, the trash that littered the floor and the abandoned vehicles all around. Her panic only increased as they passed by a crashed bus, a few growls heard from within. Walkers, there were walkers behind them.

"Steady. There’s just a few. Nothing we can’t outrun. Okay whoa whoa whoa." Rick whispers beside her, she can't tell if he's talking to the horse that is steadily getting more nervous, her who is breathing heavily with fear or himself. Maybe he was talking to all three of them.

Beth didn't wait for his instructions as she turned down another street, hoping the walkers would lose them and stop following but the horse knickered and Rick reached down gently to pat its side. It didn't matter though because it seemed no matter where they would go there would be walkers, the ones in front of them were eating on the dead bodies on the floor stopping when they heard the noise. A tank was near them, more overturned cars near by and an roadblock.

"What the f - " Rick didn't finish as they both heard the sound. One of a helicopter, both of them looked, searching for it, only to see it reflected on the windows of a sky scraper. Someone must be looking for survivors

"Hyah!" Beth cried as she kicked her feet against the sides of the horse, urging it to move as she tried to focus forward and the helicopter at the same time. Only looking away when the horse whined, stopping itself from running forward. 

Beth wanted to cry out, to carry on forward after the fading helicopter but it seemed there were other plans, like trying to get away from the herd of walkers in front of them, yellow eyes trained on them and arms already trying to grasp at them. She didn't have any other option but to turn them around, back to the tank where there hadn't been this many walkers. Yet God must have had it out for her that day because that too was now full of walkers. "Shit, shit shit!" Beth whispered.

It didn't take them long to surround the horse, hands grabbing onto whatever meat they could as they tried to get to Beth and Rick. They were stuck on top of a horse who was ready to go down, it's front legs rearing up and Beth didn't have a chance to hold on because Rick was pulling her down to the ground with him. Her shoulder struck the pavement hard, making her cry out as she tried her best to scurry away from the grabbing hands.

There was panic in her veins, flooding her brain and making it hard to hear or see anything around but amongst it all there was Rick trying his best to pull her away, saying something that she couldn't hear but she could follow him. Her limbs felt like lead as she tried to move as fast as she could towards him and the tank. "Beth under the tank." And then everything sped up, every sound seemed ten times louder and everything was brighter. There were trying to grab her everywhere and growls rang in her ears.

Her foot kicked out automatically into the face of a walker as it tried to drag her back out from under the tank as she tried to reach her gun or her knife despite the awkward position she was in. She should have had it out and ready like Rick but it's too late now and walkers were coming from every direction. She heard Rick mutter under his breath as she turned to look at him, eyes closed and gun raised.

No. Beth was not going to let him leave her alone like this. He had all but promised he wouldn't. He could not leave her alone.

She moved fast, pushing his gun away from his head, smiling when she see the open hatch in front of her, not even thinking twice as she climbs into the tank with Rick following behind her, slamming the door shut and sighing as he sat down. They were safer in here, no way out until the walkers moved on but they were as safe as they were going to get.

"Shit." Beth snapped her head to Rick to see him sat beside a dead soldier, a grenade on the shelf behind him, a gun on his bulletproof vest and who else knows what. The hairs on the back of her neck rose again as she reached out for her gun, not even thinking twice about shooting the thing in the head as Rick began to reach for the weapon, a low growl escaping it's mouth before it slumped against the wall. 

There was a moment where Beth regretted her decision. The ringing in her ears as noise of the gun seemed to echo all around until she was sure she would never be able to hear again. She watches as Rick covers his ears and falls forward slightly with a grimace. Beth doesn't think twice as she looks upwards at the hatch above them, stumbling up as she pushes it open and looks down.

When she was younger Shawn used to make her watch horror movies with him, he would laugh at the gore and Beth would cover her ears and whimper. Those movies were always the most terrifying things she had ever seen, but looking down at the walkers banging against the tank, eager for the people inside, their groans sounding far away as her hearing came back and the bag of guns and Ricks hat on the floor - those movies could never have prepared her for this. Her body was shaking with pure terror as she stared down at them, there didn't seem a way out.

It was even more terrifying when they caught sight of her, mouth hanging open and some of them even managing to climb onto the tank. Beth ducked down, slamming the hatch behind her as the banging got louder and louder. And there was Rick seeming unshaken by it all, staring at his gun clip like it was the best thing he had ever seen.

He didn't speak as he raised his gun to his chin and she didn't either. He had given up, he knew what was going to happen and what he needed to do to get out of it but he at the very least owed her a goodbye or an explanation. This wasn't fair, she was all alone in this world with no way out and the one person who had offered her some form of hope was ready to just give it all up.

Her voice caught in her throat as she saw him squeeze his eyes shut, finger on the trigger and ready to pull. Her hand reached out like she could take away the gun from him and maybe that's what his wanted her to do. To tell him not to give up but it seemed she didn't have to as the radio crackled, the gun coming down from his chin as they turned to face the machine. "Hey you two. Dumb asses. Yeah, you guys in the tank. Are you cozy in there?"


	2. Guts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys! Hope you are all safe and healthy.
> 
> Here is the next chapter, it didn't take long to fix because I've pretty much got Season 1 finished and Season 2 is pretty planned out. I am for the minute following the original storyline so is kind of going in the same direction but as time goes on I will be changing things.
> 
> Anyway please enjoy this chapter and thank you all for your lovely comments, it means everything to me.
> 
> I don't own The Walking Dead.

  
There's a few seconds where she sits in shock, the banging fading away into nothingness as she focuses on the radio and then she's laughing. Laughing so hard as though Rick just told her the funniest joke, except he didn't and the situation they are in is nowhere near humorous, but there she is laughing.

Rick is looking at her in shock, like he can't understand what's happening but then he's chuckling too and his hands are running through his hair. It's not funny, it's not but yet at the same time it is. They, well Rick, was ready to die, to leave her alone with the banging and now there is someone else out there watching them, filling them both with some form of hope.

"Hey, are you alive in there?" The man asks when he gets no response and that's all it take for the laughter to stop. This is real, they are stuck in a tank with no way out - it's that thought that has her stumbling forward to grab the receiver.

"Hello? Can you hear us?" Beth asks, her hand is shaking but her voice is steady. Rick moves closer, both of them cramped into the small space around the radio but it doesn't matter.

"There you are. You had me wondering." There's relief in his voice as it comes through. Beth feels her own relief flood through her body. She doesn't know what might happen but hearing someone else's voice is enough for her to feel hope again after what feels like so long.

"Where are you? Outside? Can you see us right now?" Rick asks as he takes the radio off Beth. She doesn't need to speak, she'll leave that to him but she can't help the little chuckle that leaves her mouth when Rick looks around like he might find the man huddled in some corner watching them. Obviously they would have noticed if there was another man here.

" Yeah, I can see you. You’re surrounded by geeks. That’s the bad news."

"There’s good news?" Rick is holding the button ready to speak but Beth does first. There's sarcasm in her tone as she asks the question, well she has hope, she is not that naïve that she would believe there would be too much good news in this world anymore. They are trapped in a tank, walkers banging everywhere.  
  
"No."

"Listen, whoever you are, I don’t mind telling you I’m a little concerned in here." Rick says as Beth sits herself down on the ground near the walker. Her eyes scan over his face.

She had never been this close to one really. Seen them from afar or surrounded by them as they try to eat her. So it's strange to look at them, grey skin already starting to rot in some places and a bad smell. There is a trickle of blood falling from the bullet hole, but it's darker and thicker than her own blood. It's rotted and for some strange reason she wants to reach out and touch it.

She doesn't. She isn't stupid - this virus or whatever it was was not something she was interested in contracting - so instead she reaches into the pockets of his pants, jacket, any pocket she could find really. There was never a day in her life that she thought she would be looting off a dead man but then there had never been a day in her life where she thought looting was a necessity.

"Yeah, I’d say make a run for it." Beth snapped her head back to where Rick sat, eyes wide and her mouth falling open as Rick turned to look back.

"That’s it? Make a run for it?"

"My way’s not as dumb as it sounds. You’ve got eyes on the outside here. There’s one geek still up on the tank but the others have climbed down and joined the feeding frenzy where the horse went down. You with me so far?" The man asked. Beth felt her eyes water as she thought of the horse laid dead on the street, she had tried her best not to look its way when she had looked around the street.

It seemed thought it had been a blessing in disguise. A way out for them if what the man was saying was correct. She shrugged her backpack on her shoulders and made sure her gun was on her hip and her knife was still in it's place. If they were running then she would need to make sure her weapons were still on hand.

"So far."

"Okay, the street on the other side of the tank is less crowded. If you move now while they’re distracted, you stand a chance. Got ammo?" The man asked and Rick ran a hand across his face, he looked around like he thought his bag was still with his before he groaned.

"In that duffel bag I dropped out there, and guns. Can I get to it?" Rick asked, Beth waited for the man to speak. To say yes they could grab the bag full of guns and ammo but the man quickly threw them off that track.

"Forget the bag, okay? It’s not an option. What do you guys have on you?"

"Hang on." Rick mutters as he puts down the receiver, taking the clip out of the gun and checking his bullets. Beth copies him, only one bullet gone so far meaning she only has five left, not a lot but hopefully enough. She pulled her knife out her boot and holds it in her hand, it's not too long, one made for cutting meat but it's sharp enough. Rick looks at her as she holds up her clip and her knife.

"Yeah. Yeah. I’ve got a berretta with one clip, 15 rounds. Beth has a kitchen knife and her gun has five rounds left." Rick explains. Beth places her knife in her right hand and her gun in her left, if she could save bullets then that's what she would do. Her backpack is half full with water and food, not much but enough to keep them going for a couple of days.

"Make ‘em count. Jump off the right side of the tank, keep going in that direction. There’s an alley up the street, maybe 50 yards. Be there." The man explains, Beth prepares herself at the hatch, ready to open it, hit the walker and get down that alley as fast as they can but it seems Rick has other ideas.

"Hey, what’s your name?"

"Rick have you been listening? We’re running out of time." Beth snaps before the man can answer but she swears she hears him chuckle and then the line goes dead.

Her hands are on the hatch, ready to open it as Rick grabs a metal bar off the wall. He nods his head at her, letting her know to open it. She does it fast, pulling herself out and gripping her knife.

The walker must have heard the sound because he's heading for her the moment she stands up, her brain acts before she's even aware of what's happening. The knife sinking into the forehead of the walker, blood making it slick as she pulls the knife out, catching the almost black blood against the silver of the blade.

For a second she wants to mourn. This person - this walker - was someone before, possibly with a family and she had just stabbed it in the head without a second thought, killing it once and for. But she'd aware they are running on short time, the walkers around have noticed the two pieces of food on top of the tank and are already beginning to climb up.

Rick grabs her hand as he makes his way to the right, jumping down and waiting as she copies. He groans as his ankle gives in, the walkers hissing and groaning around them. Beth can see the alley and again lets her instincts take over as she grips Ricks hand and pulls them towards it.

Rick lets go of her hand and for a minute she's scared that they've got him but then the shooting starts and her own knife is slashing out, blood beginning to drip down the knife and onto her pale hands. The gun in her other hand is shooting the best it can but it seems they are everywhere and if they carry on standing here then they will both end up dead, so she rushes forward as fast as she can.

They run straight into a body, a small scream escaping her lips as Rick readies his gun. "Whoa! Not dead! Come on! Come on!" It's the man from the radio, hands held up as he shouts. He's of Asian origin and she feels bad that she doesn't know which part, but she grew up in the country of Georgia where most people had lived for generations and seeing someone new was a strange phenomenon.

The man jumps up as Rick lowers his gun, slamming the gate behind them as he leads them away, it doesn't matter though because the walkers are right behind them. Rick is still shooting and Beth is pulling him along towards the ladders where the man is heading.

"Come on Rick!" Beth snapped as she pulled on his arm, the walkers were beginning to close in on them and the man from the radio was already climbing up the ladder, his eyes on them. Rick blinked as he pushed Beth up before him, Beth climbed before she turned back to Rick who carried on shooting until his ammo ran out. "What are you doing Rick? Please!" Beth shouted over the growling as she looked up to the radio man.

"Come on, get up." The man shouted down. Rick nodded his head as the three made their way onto the utility platform, catching their breath as Beth turned to glare at Rick, reaching out to slap his arm.

"Nice moves there, Clint Eastwood. You the new Sheriff come riding in to clean up the town?" The Asian man was clearly being sarcastic as his eyes turned to Beth and he tilted his head. "Putting your daughter into a uncalled for situation, pretty shit of you I have to say." The man said as he turned back to Rick. Beth tilted her head and tensed her jaw, Rick was a hell of a lot younger than her father was.

"It wasn’t my intention." Rick mumbled as he gave Beth an apologetic smile and tapped her arm softly. "She's not my daughter though, just a friend who saved my life." Rick explained, the man looked between them with a raised eyebrow before he shrugged his shoulders as though he didn't care.

"Whatever, Yeehaw. You’re still a dumbass." The man said with a frown as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Rick. Thanks" 

"Glenn. You’re welcome." 

"Beth." She said softly as Glenn reached out to shake her hand. He didn't seem to mind the blood on her fingers, in fact it was like he hadn't even noticed. Rick handed him the spare gun he had found as Glenn placed it in his other hand before reaching behind him and dropping it in the backpack.

The three leaned over the railing as the growling got louder, eyes wide as they watched the walkers grip onto the ladder, one that ran to the top of the building, their only way out of the mess they were in. If they wanted to get to the top of the building then they were going to have to do it fast and now, less they be stuck here with no way out. Beth had not just come from one deadly situation to land herself in another one not ten minutes later.

"The bright side: It’ll be the fall that kills us. I’m a glass-half-full kind of guy." Beth turned to glare at him as he smiled brightly. She couldn't help but let her lips twitch slightly as she climbed onto the ladder, moving as fast as she could until she was sure she was safe from falling to her death and into the pit of walkers below them.

She followed behind Glenn with Rick behind her as they moved fast across the bridge between the two buildings, never once looking down but she did call out. "Are you the one that barricaded the alley?" They stopped on the roof of the building, Glenn turning around to face her and Rick.

Her eyes were on the city though. One that had always amazed her with it's loud noises and bright lights at night. She remembered sitting in Maggie's small college apartment one night just staring out, wondering how New York - the city that never sleeps - could be louder than Atlanta. It was beautiful, busy and somewhere she wanted to be. Yet now it was like a grey graveyard, buildings half destroyed and the dead walking around.

Whatever she had hoped for her future, going to college and moving to Atlanta. Living the city life by herself, finding a good job, getting married and moving back home to her own farm - it was gone. Thrown out of the window as she stood and watched what was left of their old lives. There was still a dream for her though, it was simple but just as difficult. She wanted to survive.

"Somebody did - I guess when the city got overrun. Whoever did it was thinking not many geeks would get through." Beth turned to look at Glenn as he spoke, he was looking out at the city too and she suspected that he felt the same as her by the sad smile on his face. He turned away from the mess down below and made towards the door.

"Back at the tank. Why’d you stick your neck out for us?" Rick asked as they followed him inside. Beth waited for the answer, desperate to know why their saviour had done what he had done. Glenn could have easily have just left them there, saved himself and carried on with his life but he hadn't.

"Call it foolish, naïve hope that if I’m ever that far up shit creek, somebody might do the same for me. Guess I’m an even bigger dumbass than you." Glenn told them as he sent a cheeky grin to Rick. Beth swore, promised herself, that she would do whatever was possible to repay Glenn the debt she owed him, even if it killed her.

"Well I'd like to thank you for risking your neck for us."

No one spoke as they cautiously moved through the building, weapons held high and ready as they reached the bottom of the building and entered another alley which was slightly more closed off than the other one, only four walkers stumbling around, yet to notice the three of them.

Glenn pulled a walkie out of his back pocket, lifting it to his mouth as he eyes the walkers before he spoke. "I’m back. Got two guests plus four geeks in the alley." A second later Beth jumped in shock as two men in heavy riot gear rushed out of the building across from them, baseball bats in their hands. They paid the three of them no mind as they rushed to the walkers, beating them down.

"Let’s go!" Glenn said as he reached out to grab Beth's hand, clasping it tight, pulling her inside with Rick behind them. The two men in riot gear speaking in hushed tones as they followed them inside.

It didn't take Beth much time to realise there were more people inside the dark building, mainly because one of the women stepped forward, a gun clutched in her hand and her other hand pushing Rick back into a stack of boxes. Beth didn't hesitate to shake off Glenn's hand as she stepped forward.

"You son of a bitch. We ought to kill you."

"Get your gun out of his face!" Beth snapped as she pushed the blond woman back with a snarl. There was something familiar about her that she couldn't place but that wasn't important now, this woman was still pointing her gun only now it was moving between Rick and Beth like she didn't know who she wanted to shoot first. Well Beth was gonna make it real easy for her, her gun was already in her hand and ready to aim.

"Just chill out, Andrea. Back off."

"Come on, ease up."

"Ease up? You’re kidding me, right? We’re dead because of these stupid assholes." Andrea cried as she looked over her shoulder at the people behind her before she looked back to Beth and Rick, seeming shocked as Beth began lifting her gun.

"Move your gun away from us before something happens." Beth growled out. She didn't sound like herself, her voice was low and raspy and she was prepared to put her gun in this womans face. This wasn't her, she was sweet and kind not threatening and angry. But this day had been shit enough, they had almost died twice and she wasn't prepared to go for a third time at the hands of this woman.

Andrea stared at her, her gun now pointing at Beth but her hand was shaking and her eyes were filling up with tears. Beth kept her gun steady as she hissed out. "Come on, pull the trigger." Andrea lowered her gun straight away, a sob leaving her mouth as she took a step backwards.

Beth could see it in her eyes that she wasn't going to shoot, she was just scared. Beth was scared too, had been from the moment she entered the hospital - it had paralysed her and now she was determined to not let that happen again. Inside though she wanted to cry and scream, she wanted to curl into a ball away from these strange people, she couldn't though. Not when Rick was still against the boxes with wide eyes, he'd done so much for her that she owed him this.

"We’re dead - all of us - because of you." Andrea sobbed out, at one point Beth would have felt bad about making this woman cry but right now she couldn't find it in her. She was tired and feeling the same as everyone else, her gun lowered as she followed them all to another room but she didn't put it away in fear of someone else pointing a gun at them.

"Look, we came into the city to scavenge supplies. You know what the key to scavenging is? Surviving! You know the key to surviving? Sneaking in and out, tiptoeing. Not shooting up the streets like it’s the O.K. Corral." The Latin looking man snapped, as he tried to explain to them both.

"Every geek for miles around heard you popping off rounds." The black man said as he moved past Beth who just frowned. What were they supposed to do? Just let themselves be eaten.

"How else were we supposed to save ourselves? Or did you just want us to sit and wait around to be eaten? We were doing what we had to do to survive." Beth said with a glare, they looked away from her, a bit of guilt on their faces as she realised she had caught them out. Andrea was a different story though, she was glaring at Beth with what could only be described as anger.

"Yeah well you've just rang the dinner bell." Andrea said a she pointed to the front.

It was only then that Beth realised where they were. It was a department store, one that sold clothes and cheap jewellery, something she would have been happy to have been in before. To pick up pretty clothes and show them off to her mom or Maggie or even her friends but that was just a faint memory. Something that faded as she stared at the doors.

The front doors were being cracked by the amount of walkers pushed against them, wild eyes on the group and hands trying to reach out. There was another sat of doors stopping them from getting in should the others break but it didn't give Beth any form of relief as she stepped back into the darker corner of the room, out of the sight of the hungry walkers.

"What the Hell were you doing out there anyway?" The other woman asked, she looked like the no nonsense type of woman. Rick sighed as he leaned against the counter, Beth watched as he held a hand to his side. Was it bothering him? She would ask later when they weren't surrounded by these people.

"Trying to chase the helicopter." Beth explained, the group turned to look at her as though she had grown another head. She didn't care if they didn't believe her and she didn't care for explaining much. This day had been long and she wasn't exactly sure when the last day she slept was, her limbs felt heavy and her eyes were begging her to be closed for more than a few seconds.

"Helicopter? Girl, that’s crap. Ain’t no damn helicopter" The black man said as he frowned at her. Glenn shoved her shoulder as she blinked a few times, trying to fight off the sudden tiredness.

"You were chasing a hallucination. Imagining things. It happens." The black woman added, it was like she knew what they were talking about but had pushed it away. Beth tilted her head, she would have understood if Rick had seen it and she hadn't or visa versa but they had both seen it.

"We saw it.

"Hey, T-Dog, try that C.B. Can you contact the others?" The Latin man said to the black man. At least they had another name on their list. T-Dog moved towards the C.B.

"Others? The refugee centre?" Rick asked with hope in his eyes but the others just laughed and Beth couldn't help but frown at them. They seemed to forget that not everyone had been in the city like they had, that they didn't know everything going on. They couldn't be the first people searching for some sort of refuge.

"Yeah, the refugee centre. They’ve got biscuits waiting at the oven for us." The other woman said. Beth rolled her eyes as T-Dog turned back towards them and ran a hand over his head.

"Got no signal. Maybe the roof."

Beth jumped as a loud gunshot was heard from said roof, she was definitely awake now and staring at the ceiling as though she could see right through it. Everyone else around her seemed to know exactly who that was as a few of them sighed and the others shoulders tensed. The walkers began banging louder, eager to find the source of the noise as they pressed even harder against the glass.

"Come on, let’s go." Glenn whispered in her ear as he reached out to grab her hand and pulled her towards the staircase. Beth hoped he was just being friendly, not looking at Beth like she might be the only girl around his age and he was hoping for something more. But looking in his eyes she could see that wasn't the case, he was being friendly and if she was being honest she could use another friend right now.

... 

Beth had lost all her expectations. What she had been assuming was not at all what she seemed to get anymore so as they made their way to the roof she forced herself not to think of what idiot was shooting guns. Which is why she wasn't all that surprised by what she found.

A tall man with short greying hair on his head, sharp blue eyes staring down at the ground and stubble. He let out a manic laugh as he fired the gun again, not caring about the people watching him. Already she knew he was a problem, one that only cared about himself and didn't care what happened to the rest of them. She saw Glenn let out a sigh beside her as she turned to look at him, his shoulders shrugging.

"Hey, Dixon, are you crazy?" The Latin man who Beth had learned was called Morales cried as he ran forward. The man didn't even blink as he carried on laughing and shooting as though it was the most fun game in the world.

"Oh Jeez." Andrea muttered under her breath but it seemed the man heard her.

"Hey! Y’all be more polite to a man with a gun! Huh? Ah!" Dixon cried, his accent was stronger than hers, a bit more rugged - as much as she hated to say it, more unsophisticated - what an older Georgian person might call a redneck, though she would never. He jumped off the off the low roof that ran around the roof, looking at them all with a smirk and glinting eyes, the gun resting on his shoulder. "Only common sense."

"Man, you wasting bullets we ain’t even got, man!" T-Dog shouted as Dixon just laughed and waved his gun around. Whoever he was Beth didn't trust him very much, she didn't like the way his eyes glinted when he looked over at them. "And you’re bringing even more of them down on our ass! Man, just chill."

"Hey, bad enough I’ve got this taco bender on my ass all day. Now I’m gonna take orders from you? I don’t think so, bro. That’ll be the day." Dixon bit out as he took a step closer, Beth frowned as she stared at the two of them, her eyes flickering to Rick who didn't seem to sure of what to do.

"“That’ll be the day”? You got something you want to tell me?" This was not going to end well.

"Hey, T-Dog man, just leave it."

"No." This wasn't what they should be doing when there was what looked like a hundred walkers outside begging to be let in. They should be figuring a way out of here instead of whatever was going on here that was far less important than anything else. Merle seemed like a dick though who was eager to push peoples buttons, a great big smirk on his face as he stared at T-Dog.

"It ain’t worth it. Now Merle, just relax, okay? We’ve got enough trouble." Morales said as he held up his hands and walked towards Dixon. Beth could tell this was going to get worse and worse the more they carried on treating Merle as though he was a ticking time bomb.

"You want to know the day?" Merle asked as he moved forward. He was taunting T-Dog, eyes glinting madly as he watched the man in front of him slowly get wound up. Like a dog playing with its food. Merle was enjoying this, he got pleasure for winding people up and Beth could see that, hell everyone could see that.

"Yeah."

"I’ll tell you the day. It’s the day I take orders from a nigger." Her ears felt dirty from just hearing the word. She had never known anyone to use such an offensive term, and no one would ever dream of saying it, never mind saying it like Merle who acted as though it was just a word he could throw about. He didn't care who it offended as long as he got what he wanted.

"Mother - " T-Dog didn't even finish his sentence as he threw a punch which Merle easily blocked, the two beginning to fight. Merle was laughing viciously as he began to punch T-Dog. The group shouting and screaming for it to stop as Merle clearly had the upper hand.

Beth wanted to help. To do something but what was she supposed to do? Pull a grown man away from another grown man, she may be strong but she didn't think she could manage that. And she did not want to step in between two men fighting, plus it seemed like Rick was edging towards then with Morales.

Rick jumped over the pipe, ready to step in but only getting knocked back on his arse as Merle clocked him with his left fist. Beth didn't even think as she ran over to where he was laying on the floor. Merle didn't seem bothered as he planted a heavy shove into T-Dogs chest, picking him up and punching him hard enough that he went flying into the pipe behind him, head hitting it with a bang.

"Stop it!" Jacqui screamed loudly.

"Dixon, get off him!" Andrea was screaming too. But Merle wasn't paying attention, he just kept going, the same insane laugh falling from his lips as he decided to add kicking into the mix. "You’re gonna hurt him."

"Merle cut it out!" Morales yelled as Beth helped Rick up, T-Dog was on the ground, seeming half unconscious, with Merle sitting on top of him, fisting flying everywhere as Morales tried to help only to be knocked away. It was then that Merle decided enough was enough, pulling out a revolver and pointing it at T-Dogs face.

Enough was enough. No one else seemed eager to help as they just stood and stared, to scared to face the bully that was Merle Dixon. Rick tried to grab at her hand as she stood up but she brushed him off, her gun already being pulled out. Merle didn't notice as Andrea muttered under her breath, he just spat on his victims chest and rubbed it in but he had lowered his gun now.

"I am fucking tired of you lot pointing your guns at everyone." Merle turned slowly as Beth raised her gun. He seemed surprised to find himself at the barrel of the gun, hands raising up as he smiled cheekily at her. Thunder rumbled above them, reflecting the mood Beth felt right now. "Why can't you guys just shut the fuck up?" She muttered the question more to herself but Merle seemed to have heard it.

"Woohee, looks like we got us a regular jailbait thinking she's the dogs balls pointing that thing at me. Know who I am girlie?" His language was crass and any other day she would be disgusted and intimidated by him, but today - well today she was feeling brave, like she could shoot a man half her size or glare at him without wondering about the repercussions. Maybe it was because she was tired or maybe it was because the world had gone to shit and she couldn't be the little girl with pretty dresses anymore; whatever it was she didn't care anymore.

"Merle Dixon, asshole extraordinaire by the looks of things, but you make sure to tell me if I'm making a snap decision judged on the shit I've already heard come out of your mouth." Beth bit back, her gun was still pointing at him and she knew he could grab it and turn this around but for whatever reason he didn't.

"I'd watch your mouth barbie."

"Funny, I feel as though I should be the one saying that to you, after all I am the one holding the gun." Beth spoke with a slight smirk. She could see the group watching her in shock, clearly no one tried to sass Merle Dixon, but even he looked amused as he stared down at her, respect shining clear in his eyes. If this was a normal day and she didn't have a gun pointed at his head then people might think they were friends who bickered.

"Cheeky though I best warn you barbie to keep quiet for I knock you - " Merle didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as Rick hit him round the back of the head with the butt of his gun. He had been so caught up with Beth that he hadn't realised what else was happening around him.

He was too proud. And Beth was relieved as she lowered the gun with a shaky sigh, watching as Rick handcuffed the man to the same pipe T-Dog had hit his head on. Bested by a 'barbie' and a Sheriff.

"Who the hell are you two?"

"Officer Friendly and officer barbie." Rick announced, Beth rolled her eyes but there was a faint smile on her face. She wasn't an officer but if Merle believed that then she would go with it. "Look here, Merle. Things are different now. There are no Niggers anymore. No dumb-as-shit, inbred white-trash fools either. Only dark meat and white meat. There’s us and the dead. We survive this by pulling together, not apart." Rick said as he forced Merle to look his way, holding by his chin as Merle tried his best to get him away and glare at Beth.

"Screw you, man."

"I can see you make a habit of missing the point." Beth remarked as she took a step backwards, tucking her gun inside her holster. Her eyes found the group as they stared between the three. Andrea looked slightly less pissed off, there was even a hint of amusement in her eyes and Glenn was grinning at her as though he had just won the lottery.

"Yeah? Well screw you twice." Beth cocked her gun as Merle spoke, pointing it as his temple. She was in way over her head, and she was fully aware of that, but there was no backing out, if she backed down now then Merle would know it was all an act. And for whatever reason she did not want to seem weak to him.

"Ought to be polite to a girl with a gun. Only common sense." Rick whispered as he turned his eyes away from Beth and back to Merle.

"You wouldn’t. You’re a cop."

"I am but is she?" Rick said softly. Merle looked to Beth and the feeling that he could see right through her act made her lower the gun and look away. This wasn't her and if her daddy could see her now then he would be disappointed in her. "All I am anymore is a man looking for his wife and son, and Beth is someone who has agreed to help me. Anybody that gets in the way of that is gonna lose. I’ll give you a moment to think about that."

Rick must have seen something on Merle or known him because he suddenly began patting him down. Beth stood up and watched, noticing Glenn heading her way and standing beside her as they both looked at Rick and Merle. A groan left Beth's mouth as Rick pulled out a bag of white powder from Merle's pocket. 

She didn't care what it was as she moved to look over the side, well she wasn't stupid she knew what it was, though she'd never used it. Glenn stood beside her, both of them watching the walkers below as Rick and Merle continued to speak until he appeared next to her, throwing the bag over the side.

"Hey! What are you doing? Man that was my stuff! Hey!" Merle cried, there was the sound of grunting as the man tried to escape. Beth briefly looked over her shoulder with an eye roll. "If I get loose, you’d better pray - yeah, you hear me, you pig?! You hear me?"

"Yeah, your voice carries." Rick bit back as he refused to look back at Merle and instead carried on looking forward. Beth watched as he flexed his hands in pain, Merle still shouting behind them but no one paid him any mind as Morales joined them.

"You’re not Atlanta P.D. Where you from?"

"Up the road a ways." Rick replied. Beth watched the monsters below move around dully, like they had nothing else to do, their heads snapping whenever they heard a slight sound.

"Well, Officer Friendly and officer barbie, from up the road a ways, welcome to the big city." Beth sent him an amused smile as the thunder rumbled again and the walkers below moaned. There was a storm on its way, a tingle in the air and once Beth would have grinned at the idea. She had always loved storms, only now it worried her that it might hinder them.

"God, it’s like Times Square down there." Beth hadn't noticed that the rest of them had joined until Andrea spoke from beside Glenn, head leaning over at the walkers below.

"How’s that signal?" Morales asked T-Dog.

"Like Dixon’s brain - weak." Merle raised his middle finger to T-Dog who just chuckled, happy to have pissed of the racist man behind them. Beth looked at Merle for a second before she turned back to the city.

"Keep trying."

"Why? There’s nothing they can do. Not a damn thing." Andrea snapped as she began to walk away but not before sending an angry look to Beth and Rick. Beth wasn't bothered, even if they hadn't risked the people by accident, she had a feeling that Andrea wouldn't be her biggest fan in the slightest.

Beth remembered back in high school how there was a few girls like this. Popular and pretty, they had hated Beth because of who she was. And Beth wasn't going to lie nor was she trying to be big headed, she wasn't ugly by any means, she was full aware of that. And she suspected Andrea was too, that the older woman for whatever reason felt threatened by Beth's presence here.

It didn't make sense to Beth, she wasn't interested in anyone here if that was Andreas concern. She didn't plan to come into their group and act like some tough leader who would boss them all around. 

"Got some people outside the city is all. There’s no refugee centre. That’s a pipe dream." Morales explained, Rick nodded his head while Beth broke out of her thoughts and turned away from staring at Andrea.

"Then she’s right. We’re on our own. It’s up to us to find a way out." Rick explained as he looked around. Beth kept her eyes forward, trying to figure out a way past the hoard that was lurking on the road below and coming up with nothing that seemed useful.

"Good luck with that. These streets ain’t safe in this part of town from what I hear." Merle said with a cackle before he looked between Andrea and Beth. "Ain’t that right, sugar tits? Hey, Honeybunch or barbie, what say you get me out of these cuffs; we go off somewhere and bump some uglies? Gonna die anyway." Beth narrowed her eyes and shook her head as she threw her hand over her shoulder, Andrea could deal with that.

"I’d rather."

"Rug muncher. I figured as much." Merle said back to Andrea, a low whistle escaping his lips afterwards before he called out. "What about you Blondie, interested in this fine piece?"

"“The streets ain’t safe.” Now there’s an understatement." Morales said sarcastically as Beth sent him a look of appreciation. She had no desire to talk to Merle again, or ever again if she could help it. Disgusting low life who had no sense of equality or morals. He made her want to throw up every time he opened his mouth.

"What about under the streets? The sewers?" Beth asked suddenly as she caught sight of a manhole cover down the road. She turned, not noticing as she hit Rick in the face with her hair. "Glenn, check the alley. You see any manhole covers?" She asked, Glenn nodded his head and leaned over the over side of the building.

"No, must be all out on the street where the geeks are."

"Maybe not. Old building like this built in the twenties. Big structures often had drainage tunneled into the sewers in case of flooding down in the subbasements." Jacqui explained full of confidence. She crossed her arms over her chest and for some reason looked to Beth as she explained it to them.

"How do you know that?" Glenn asked as he moved to stand beside them.

"It’s my job - was. I worked in the city zoning office."

.... 

Everyone but Merle and T stood around the open hole in the floor, staring down into the dark steep stairwell. Everyone turned to look at Jacqui as she crossed her arms and turned to look at Glenn.

"This is it? Are you sure?" Morales asked. They needed to check first before they sent people down there. No one had any idea what was down there nor did anyone really seem to want to find out but there was no other way. The walkers were close to breaking through the first set of doors and it wouldn't be long after that that they broke through the second set and into the department.

"I really scoped this place out the other times I was here. It’s the only thing in the building that goes down. But I’ve never gone down it. Who’d want to, right?" Glenn added the last part as he gulped but everyone was still looking at Glenn. "Oh. Great." Beth sent him an amused smile.

"We’ll be right behind you." Andrea added after a second as she shrugged her shoulders.

"No, you won’t. Not you." Glenn said as he waved his hand, Andrea raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms across her chest, leaning heavily onto the left side of her body as she glared at Glenn.

"Why not me? Think I can’t?" So defensive about everything it seemed. Instead of listening she just assumed that people thought she couldn't do anything, it irked Beth.

"I wasn’t - "

"Speak your mind." Rick added quickly, stopping a fight from breaking out between the nervous man and annoyed looking woman. Beth watched them both as everyone waited for Glenn to explain himself.

"Look, until now I always came here by myself - In and out, grab a few things, no problem. The first time I bring a group and everything goes to Hell. No offense." He rambled as he turned to look at Rick and Beth, the latter shrugging her shoulders. "If you want me to go down this gnarly hole, fine, but only if we do it my way. It’s tight down there. If I run into something and have to get out quick, I don’t want you all jammed up behind me getting me killed. I’ll take one person- " He turned to look at Rick with wary eyes before he continued speaking. " - not you either. You’ve got Merle’s gun and I’ve seen you shoot. I’d feel better if you were out in that store watching those doors, covering our ass." He then turned to Andrea and sent her a small smile as he explained. "And you’ve got another gun, so you should go with him." He then turned to Beth and before he even spoke she knew what he was going to say. "You be my wingman - woman. Jacqui and Morales stay here. Something happens, yell down to us, get us back up here in a hurry."

"Okay."

"Beth, are you sure you want to do this?" Rick says suddenly as he places his hands on Beth's shoulders. It was weird to think you could grow to care for somebody as a friend in such a short amount of time.

"I'm small, fast, I can get in and out easier if something goes wrong." Beth explained. For second it almost felt like she was talking to Shawn, an older male who was just trying to protect her. They could send anyone else down with Glenn, it didn't have to be her clearly but Glenn had asked for her. If she stayed behind she would probably end up asleep in a corner, she would lose the nerve she had built.

Rick nodded, patting her shoulder and then Glenn's as Beth copied Glenn, placing the flashlight in her mouth and following him down the ladder. She could hear the water splashing as Glenn stepped off the ladder. 

The water hit her feet, splashing against the boots she was wearing. She looked down to see Glenn's trainers soaked and felt grateful that on the day she had gone to the hospital she had decided to put on her 'cowboy' boots, though they were pinching from all the things she had been doing today and she knew the moment she took them off, her feet would be bruised and bloody.

Beth and Glenn turned on their flashlights as the began down the tunnel listening to the rats squeak and scurry down the tunnels, away from the light. Glenn cried out in shock as one ran close to his leg as Beth tried to hide her own grimace.

They carried on walking for a while it felt like, feet splashing in puddles and rats running away from them. They didn't speak, staying quiet so nothing could hear them but their flashlights were bright and shining on every corner.

Beth wanted to sigh as she saw the end of the tunnel. It was heavily barred, stopping them from venturing any further. A dead end it seemed but Beth wasn't quiet ready to give up hope yet as she turned to look at Glenn. "Think we can cut through it?" He stared back at her with a small smirk.

"If we had a blowtorch and half a day, sure." Before Beth could respond to his mild sarcasm the rats began squeaking and there was a crunch. Beth took a step forward, her flashlight stopping on a hunched over figure as it crunched down on a rat.

The walker turned slowly, mouth hanging open and filled with a mixture of rats guts and bones as it growled at them both, leaping forward only to be stopped by the gate as Beth stumbled backwards and Glenn joined her. Both of them turning back the way they came, practically running through the tunnels and up the ladder as they struggled to catch their breath.

Beth practically ran back to Rick the moment she was out of the tunnel, boots hitting the ground hard and wet as she made her way into the department store. Andrea was smiling as she placed something in her pocket and Rick was looking away from her but before Beth could speak the glass of the outside department doors crumbled under the walker weight.

They were one step closer to getting inside. Panic seemed to flood through everyone, they needed to get out of here before anything else happened.

"What did you find down there?" Rick asked Beth. She felt shaky, her mouth open to speak but Glenn must have sense she couldn't for whatever reason as he spoke instead.

"It's blocked off by a thick gate and a geek on the other side."

"We need to find a way…and soon." Andrea stated the obvious to everyone.

  
...

  
The thunder was loud, seeming to shake everything around them as it got closer and more frequent, the sky looking ready to open at any moment. It was the least of their concerns now though as the group stared over the edge of the building, watching as more walkers gathered around the entrance.

Everyone was on edge, throwing out ideas, all of them put down with a small concern. They knew getting out was not going to be easy or perfect but they couldn't risk too much unless they were prepared to loose a few people it seemed.

"That construction site, those trucks, they always keep keys on hand." Rick said as he pointed across past the walkers to were there laid a empty site filled with trucks. If they could get one then they could get out of Atlanta and to this camp these people kept saying they had. Maybe Beth could eventually find a way to get home, when she was ready.

Morales took the binoculars, pressing them to his eyes as he looked down the street below, following where Rick had said but then he shook his head. "You’ll never make it past the walkers."

"You got us out of that tank." Rick pointed out to Glenn.

"Yeah, but they were feeding. They were distracted." Glenn explained. It all seemed to rely on that, they needed something to divert the attention of the walkers so they could sneak away. They had nothing they could use though, no way of getting to the buildings around them unless one of them could suddenly fly. Highly unlikely.

"Can we distract them again? Or do something to divert them? Maybe we could give them Merle." Beth asked with wide eyes as she looked to Glenn, then a snarl on her face as she turned to look at Merle. He glared back at her, jaw tensing and hands clenching but he couldn't get to her.

"Right, throw old Merle to the geeks." Merle said with a scoff. "Other than throwing me away though listen to barbie. She’s onto something. A diversion, like on “Hogan’s Heroes.”" Honestly she had no idea what Hogan's heroes was and if Merle was interested in it then she didn't even want to know what it was. Knowing him as she did, which wasn't too well but by the words he had casually thrown about it wasn't hard to guess, then it would probably not be the best idea to even indulge him.

"They’re drawn by sound, right?" Beth asked Glenn who nodded to confirm what she said. "They see you, smell you and if they catch you, they eat you." Beth added on afterwards, listing off everything and waiting for someone to add something off she had missed but everyone just stayed silent.

"They can tell us by smell?" Rick said suddenly, eyes furrowing.

"Can’t you?"

"They smell dead, we don’t. It’s pretty distinct." Andrea cleared up and Beth's eyes widened as she turned to Rick. He seemed to have the same idea as her as they looked down below. If Beth focused she could smell the dead right now, her brain had just tuned it out, it was horrible and pungent but it was there.

  
  
...

The group stood in the department store again, hidden from the walkers banging on the doors and more to the back where Glenn had first brought them in. Each of them held a pair of rubber gloves and were staring at each other.

"If bad ideas were an Olympic event, this would take the gold." Glenn muttered. Beth nodded her head in agreement as she pulled a raincoat over her head, adding a little shower cap over her head and tucking her hair in. Her hair was long and she had just washed it, she didn't want to be washing blood out of it if she could help it.

"He’s right. Just stop, okay? Take some time to think this through." Morales muttered as he watched Rick but Rick just didn't want to listen as he headed towards the door.

"How much time? They already got through one set of doors, that glass won’t hold forever." Rick said and everyone agreed. This was the only plan they seemed to have at the moment and they didn't have time to sit down and go through anymore ideas. So Beth kept her mouth shut and watched as Rick threw a raincoat to Glenn.

Rick and Morales headed out to the alley as Glenn stood guard with a bat, rushing to the side when the two men came back with a walker body. Dropping it on the ground as Rick added a clear plastic face shield to his assemble before looking at the others.

Beth watched as he broke the fire axe of the wall with a sigh. He gets a head start, running towards the body and holding the axe above his head before stopping at the last second, pulling off his gloves and head shield as he reaches down to check the walkers pockets, pulling out a wallet.

Beth didn't think this was the best idea. To attach a name and identity to someone they were going to chop up, to someone who was dead and had what looked like rotting flesh stuck in his teeth. It humanized them and that scared her, it made make it feel wrong to do what they were going to do in her eyes, even more wrong than it already was.

"Wayne Dunlap, Georgia license. Born in 1979." Rick said as he handed the license to Glenn, Beth closed her eyes and turned away as Rick carried on. "He had twenty-eight dollars in his pocket when he died and a picture of a pretty girl. “With love, from Rachel.” He used to be like us - worrying about bills or the rent or the Super Bowl. If I ever find my family, I’m gonna tell them about Wayne." She could hear shuffling and turned back around as Rick pulled his gear back on.

"One more thing - he was an organ donor." Glenn adds but what he said doesn't sink in as Rick heaves the axe down into the walker, she refuses to call him that name but a big part of her doesn't feel right doing this.

The group cries loudly as Rick continues chopping through the thing that once used to be a man and Beth has to turn away yet again as she heaves slightly. She can hear the cries still, swear words and gagging leaving everyone else's mouth but she doesn't turn around, flinches when the sound of bone cracking rings through her ears.

"Keep chopping." Beth hears Rick say, she turns back around to see him handing his things to Morales as he catches her eye and sends her a sad smile.

"I am so gonna hurl." Glenn moans as he holds his stomach and looks away. Beth can't blame him, the sight on the ground was not one for sensitive eyes nor stomachs and she just wants to turn away again but she can't because she has a job to do.

"Later." Morales continues chopping, face pale and mouth closed as Rick pats Glenn's shoulders. He turns his blue eyes on everyone. "Everybody got gloves? Don’t get any on your skin or in your eyes." Rick tells them and Beth thinks just putting it on clothes is disgusting enough let alone even trying to get it on her skin. But there was already dried blood under her nails so she wondered if it really matter anymore.

She scoops down, holding her breath and picks up some guts, rubbing it on her raincoat as Rick and Glenn do the same. She can feel Andrea helping her, watches as a pair of intestines make their way over her shoulders, another part of it going around Glenn. He still looks like he might be sick and all Beth can do is try not to breath in too deeply so she doesn't join him but its hard when you are covered in blood and decayed flesh.

"Oh, God! Oh jeez. Oh, this is bad. This is really bad." Glenn groans as he pushes Jacqui away from him, face going pale as he leans over slightly. Beth can't help but want to do the same as vomit makes it way up her throat.

"Think about something else - puppies and kittens." No she doesn't want to do that, not when she is covered in a dead man and smells like - well smells like death. Rick cringes as he looks down at himself.

"Dead puppies and kittens." T-Dog mumbles. Glenn leans over again to vomit and Beth can't help but follow. She had always had that problem when she was a kid, seeing someone vomit makes do it too. And now her nose is filled with the smell of bile, slightly less unpleasant than what she was covered with but still disgusting.

"That is just evil. What is wrong with you?" Andrea snaps at the man.

"Next time let the cracker beat his ass." Jacqui whispered to Rick who smirks slightly but he's swaying on his feet and Beth suddenly remembers the bullet wound in his side and if him going out there injured is the best thing for them. She doesn't say anything though, just watches him as the rest of the conversation faded away into the background.

"Give me the axe. We need more guts." Oh god no.

...

Before this all started Beth had no idea that she would be creeping down a street with a knife in her hand and covered in rotted flesh with a scarf made out of intestines. Life always has other plans for you though. Gone were the dreams of graduating and college replaced by the need to keep herself quiet as a walker staggered in front of her, eyes flickering to Glenn beside her who did his best not to flinch out of the way.

Rick was taking the lead, he didn't look back at them as he moved forward towards the construction. Her eyes closed as a walker brushed between her and Glenn, his arm brushing against her own as she tried to act as calm as possible. If the walker was to figure them out now then she wouldn't have enough time to stop it before its teeth sunk into her neck, as it happened though the walker was none the wiser and carried on on its way.

It was taking them forever as they stumbled down the street. Beth wanted nothing more than to just run as fast as she could and it seemed Glenn felt the same as he looked around him, his legs moving forcibly slow.

"It’s gonna work. I can’t believe it." Glenn whispered from beside her. She turned as slow as she could to send him a glare as a walker growled near them. He shut his mouth quickly, understanding what she meant as the three carried on their way, though he did let out a low growl that seemed to send the walker away.

They were a block away when a deep booming thunder rumbled above and the heavens decided to open up. It was a hard sort of rain that Beth would have happily stood under once before, only now it was worrying her even more. The walkers around them were becoming agitated, heads in the air as though they could smell something.

"The smell’s washing off, isn’t it? Is it washing off?" Glenn whispered to them both as he took a step closer, Beth stepped even closer to him, their arms rubbing together. Close enough that if they needed to run she could grab his hand so she wouldn't loose him but Rick was too far ahead for her to do that for him.

"Yes." Beth whispered lowly. The walkers began to stop their shuffling now, no longer agitated as they smelt something among them, they looked around, eyes stopping on the three. One of them seemed to feel brave as it made a dive for Rick, he brought his axe down quick and turned to the two of them.

"RUN!" Rick screamed. Beth didn't think twice as she stabbed her way through the walkers, adrenaline taking it's way over her body as she ducked and dodged the ones scrambling towards her. She kicked one hard as she made her way to the fence, throwing her knife over and climbing over without a second thought as she landed roughly, the knife in her hand again before she could blink.

The three of them stared at the walkers for a second, watching as they began to pile up on the fence before they got to work. Beth tore off the raincoat and cap as she ran towards the keybox with Glenn, both of them ignoring the gunshots behind them as Rick did what he could to keep the walkers away.

Glenn brought down his crowbar against the box with the keys, grabbing one for the van as he called Rick. Beth following behind him as they ran towards the van and climbed inside as a walker climbed over the fence and ran behind them, leaping onto the front of the van and banging on the window.

"Fucking go!" Beth had never sworn much in her life but it seemed today she couldn't help it as she pushed Rick to drive. He did as she asked, the tires squealing as he backed out, the walker thrown off and the gate collapsing under the rest of the walkers weight. The didn't even think twice before chasing after the van and all Beth could do was panic as they drove through the far fence and around the corner.

"Oh my God. Oh my God. They’re all over that place." Glenn moaned as he looked out the window at the walkers in the distance.

"You need to draw them away. Those roll-up doors at the front of the store - That area? That’s what I need cleared. Raise your friends. Tell them to get down there and be ready." Rick told them both. Beth nodded her head, she wasn't about to send Glenn on some slightly suicidal mission by himself.

"And I’m drawing the geeks away how? I-I missed that part." Glenn spoke softly.

"Noise." Beth answered as she looked around. "We need something loud or - like an alarm, a police car maybe or even an ambulance, something we can drive away so Rick can get to the doors." Beth explained, she leaned over Glenn, pressing her face against the window as she tried to spot something they could use before she saw it. "Over there!"

  
Moment later they had managed to pull up on a deserted street beside a nice red sports car, the one Beth always saw the fancy douche rich men driving in movies. She didn't get a chance to full enjoy it as Rick brought the crowbar through the drivers side window and a rather loud alarm, one that required that you covered your ears, went off.

Rick didn't blink as he took a screwdriver under the steering wheel, hot wiring the car as fast as he could. Beth could hear the moans that were coming closer, her foot tapping against the floor as she wished for Rick to hurry up.

"Done, lets go." Beth doesn't even think twice as she climbs into the sports car passenger seat and apparently Rick isn't going to tell her to go with him, he just gives her a smile and climbs into the van. Glenn is giddy when he climbs into the drivers seat as he turns to face her.

"You ready?"

"Lets do this." She answers back with her own grin as Glenn reeves the engine and suddenly they are barrelling down the street, tires screeching as they pass Rick on their way to the department store.

"Those roll-up doors at the front of the store facing the street - Meet us there and be ready." Glenn calls on the radio. The alarm is blaring around them and the car is revving even louder as they close in to the department store. Glenn drives past the doors with a grin before stopping completely and backing up.

It doesn't take long for the walkers to spot the car, their eyes turning towards the loud alarm. They take the bait pretty easily as they begin stumbling towards the car, arms outstretched and groans getting closer. It only takes Beth a minute to realise Glenn has no window on his side, just fragments of glass stuck in place.

One walker gets a bit too close for comfort and Beth raises her gun, shooting it through the head and watching as it falls. She expects Glenn to tell her off for wasting bullets but he doesn't, she realises why when she sees more walkers moving towards them. Glenn doesn't thank her or speak, he simply puts his foot down and moves forward bit by bit.

It seems to take forever until they are down the street, a rather large herd following behind them but the door is free for the rest to escape. She can see Rick pulling up behind them and nods to Glenn as he grins. His foot presses down on the gas and they are off, speeding down the road with Beth laughing as she thinks about how for the umpteenth time today she has just managed to escape death.

And Glenn is joining in. The two of them speeding out of Atlanta, laughing and cheering together like a pair of good friends who didn't just get chased by a group of the dead. Both of them are stained in blood and their clothes are covered in sweat but they are alive while the rest of the world is in shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed that.
> 
> Glenn is going to be a good friend to Beth, just like Rick but nothing more. They will bond over being similar ages, well not much age difference between them. I won't spoil anything but you will see a lot more Beth and Glenn in the future and a lot more Rick and Beth. I honestly never understood why when Beth died no one else mourned her but Maggie and Daryl.
> 
> She was basically the mother to Ricks child, the sister-in-law to Glenn and yet both of them moved on pretty fine. So they will be closer in this story.
> 
> Anyway next chapter is when we finally see Daryl. Him and Beth will have a few interactions and I can't wait for it. 
> 
> Stay safe guys and please leave comments so I can know what you think, if you don't mind it helps feed the big ego I have (I'm joking, it helps me through these shitty times).
> 
> Thank you for reading and until the next chapter.


	3. Tell It To The Frogs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys I am back. Thank you so much for your comments, all of them have been amazing. You guys really are the best and I hope you are all safe and sound wherever you may be.
> 
> Here is the next chapter for you. Beth meets the group and she meets Daryl.  
> I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> I don't own The Walking Dead.

  
"You nervous?"

They had been driving a while to get to the mountains where Glenn had claimed his group were situated. Not too far away from Atlanta but there was enough distance that they could be hidden from everything else. And Beth had been focused of the passing scenery, feeling at home or more homely in the nature with Glenn beside her like they were heading for some camping trip and not running away from the dead in the city.

She needed to stop doing that. Stop living with pretend solutions in her head. It was only going to get her into shit.

"I don't know, should I be?" Beth asked. She didn't know what to expect, Glenn had listed off some names and slight details but these people had practically been together since this all started, she didn't know how kindly they would take to two strangers entering their camp and putting their people in danger. Other than Rick she had only dealt with a portion of the group and they hadn't been overly happy. It was almost like she didn't know how to be around people anymore.

"Nah - they're pretty good people, families mainly, though I will warn you to be mindful of Daryl, he probably won't take to kindly to you pointing a gun at his brother." Glenn admitted sheepishly but Beth understood, after all how would she feel is someone was to point a gun at Maggie or Shawn.

"He was being a dick, I just wanted him to stop."

"Won't matter to Daryl, you held a gun at his brother." Glenn said again. There was guilt in her stomach, flooding her veins and she was scared. Was this guy going to be like Merle? Angry and crass, rude and racist or would he be able to see reason. Beth, Maggie and Shawn were all so different despite their upbringings, but there was always one thing they agreed on - family was always more important.

"Great Glenn, you're really making me feel good at this group." Beth joked dryly as she tried to push the thought of her family away. She missed them something fierce but they weren't here and Beth wouldn't be seeing them anytime soon. It didn't do well for people to dwell on the past.

"Worry not farm girl, I got your back." Glenn said as he wiggled his eyebrows in a flirty manner. He did that a lot, jokingly, flirted and joked with her as though they had been friends all their lives. It was nice and easy with him, to have a friend she could joke with and know it meant nothing more. He'd made her laugh more than she had for the past two months.

And he talked so much. In long rambled sentences. She knew most of his life in a lot of detail, from him growing up in Michigan with his sisters and his Korean parents to why he was in Atlanta during the whole thing. It was nice to hear about someone else, even if it was tinged sadness when he spoke about his family. And he in turn knew about her, where she had grown up and her own family. It was pleasant to speak to Glenn, like he didn't judge her for the things she had done or why she hadn't gone home, he seemed to understand her.

"You better or I'll be taking you down with me." Beth said with a smile as she reached out to pat his face. The camp was coming into view, she could see a few people looking at the car and her nerves were on overdrive as she looked back. They didn't look happy, no they looked pissed off.

"Holy crap, turn that damn thing off!" A man around Rick's age shouted as the two of them climbed out of the car, the light hearted, teasing mood gone in just a few seconds. Beth took a step backwards as the man stormed forward, he didn't cast her a second glance as he glared at Glenn but there is something so familiar about him that Beth for the life of her just can not place.

"I don’t know how!" Glenn shouts over the alarm and people muttering around the camp. There are quite a few people here and Beth is pleasantly surprised.

"Pop the hood, please. Pop the damn hood please."

"My sister Andrea - Beth?" Hearing her name called seems so unfamiliar now. Before she would have turned around with a smile on her face and greeted whoever had called her but now she turns slowly, looking at the girl with a frown before he eyes widen.

"Amy?" Beth whispers as the woman practically runs at her and wraps her arms around her, something that seems even more foreign than hearing her own name called, but its like Amy has opened some sort of gate as Beth wraps her own arms around her and takes the comfort this girl is offering her.

The weren't friends. Not by any means. In fact Amy was a girl that had roomed with Maggie for a couple of months in Atlanta during her big sisters third year at college. Beth had only met her a couple of times on the weekends she went to see Maggie but Amy was always there to offer her a soft smile and gentle words. She was kind and sweet, the exact opposite of Maggie and now she was here hugging Beth as though they were friends.

"Pop the damn hood please!" A man yells at Glenn as Beth pulls away from the hug, wiping the tears that fell from her eyes without her even realising. Amy seems the same as she gives Beth a kind smile and wipes her own tears.

"What? Okay, okay. Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" Beth hears Glenn say in the background, the car door opens and the hood pops open.

"Did you see Andrea? Is she safe?" All familiarity between Amy and Beth seem to have gone out of the window now, replaced by Amy's hands gripping Beth's arms and her blue eyes staring down into Beth's. She looks frantic and scared, and so much younger than her actual age. Beth realised now why Andrea was so familiar, the similarities between her and her sister when they looked at her like this, tears shining in their eyes, was outstanding. 

"Yeah I did." Beth tries her best to reassure the woman but it seems like Amy isn't really listening.

"Is she safe?"

"She’s okay! She’s okay!" Beth lets out a sigh of relief as Glenn appears beside her, hands listing Amy's off Beth's arms as he tried to pull her away. He looks annoyed and tired, and like he is ready to tell Amy to shut up but is keeping his mouth closed.

"Is she coming back?"

"Yes!" Glenn shouts, finally breaking as he leads Beth back towards the car where three men are now working on it, one of them reaching in to wrap their hands around a bunch of wires as he pulls them out and throws them to the floor. The alarm stops, but she can still hear it ringing in her ears, like when you stand too close to a stereo and for the next day your ears ring.

"Why isn’t she with you? Where is she? She’s okay?" Beth gets it, she does. But the temptation to tell Amy to shut up is there, she doesn't because she thinks that the people here might not take to kindly to that. An outsider telling one of them to 'stop talking because they were annoying' wasn't the best way to win people over. No, she'll leave Glenn to deal with that.

"Yes! Yeah. Fine. Everybody is. Well, Merle not so much." Glenn snaps at Amy who finally stops talking but Beth is now concerned about Merle's brother. She waits for some man to step out of the group, anger on his face as he storms towards them, to demand to know what happened to his brother but when no one moves or even seems bothered by that fact she finally lets out a breath. 

"Are you crazy, driving this wailing bastard up here? Are you trying to draw every geek for miles?" Beth turns back around to see the familiar man glaring at them both, like a father telling off his two children for doing something wrong. And they have to admit that yes maybe driving a car with a blaring alarm when there are monsters around attracted to sound is not the best idea but she would like to hear if they had another way to get out of the shit they had been in.

"I think we’re okay." An older man says. He looks about her dads age, white hair covered by a fisherman's hat and a white beard covering the bottom half of his face, his eyes are on the other man (if someone could give her names then she would be grateful) and they are soft, not a hint of anger or malice in them.

"You call being stupid okay?"

"Well, the alarm was echoing all over these hills. Hard to pinpoint the source." The man who killed the alarm turns to glare at him in anger. Beth is grateful that someone seems to be on their side. "I’m not arguing. I’m just saying." An air of finality is in his words, no one questions him or moves to say anything further. "It wouldn’t hurt you to think things through a little more carefully next time, would it?" She hates how it reminds her so much of her dad. No anger in his words but instead there is disappointment, it makes her lower her head and guilt close around her throat.

"Sorry. Got a cool car."

"Yes it is cool. Sorry didn't mean to ignore you, I'm Dale and this is Shane and Jim." Dale says as he moves to stand in front of her, his weathered hand is held out as he waits for her to shake it and she does, slowly and unsurely. The other two men he introduced don't move to do the same, Shane is stood with his hands on his hips and Jim is leaning against a tree.

"Beth."

Whatever Dale was going to say is cut off by the truck pulling up behind the car. Beth is almost grinning as she waits for Rick to climb out, knowing that she won't be the only new kid in a group full of strangers and Glenn, She can see Glenn grinning from beside her, his arms swinging by her side.

Morales and Jacqui are the first out of the truck, grins on their faces as Andrea follows, rushing towards their families in a way that makes Beth look away. Her eyes sting and her throat feels tight as she tries to remind herself to be happy for them all but its hard. She wants nothing more than to wrap her own family in a tight hug, to never let them go and she can't. There are comforting words all around them, though they do little to comfort her.

And it seems she's not alone.

A woman with brown hair is pulling away her child, kneeling down in front of him as the boy cries. Beth can see that whatever the mother is saying is doing nothing for the boy, and she can see how Shane is staring at them both with a sad smile like he wants to wrap them in his arms but for whatever reason he stands there staring at them instead looking lost and unsure.

"You are a welcome sight." Beth tears her eyes away from the family and turns to where Morales is hugging Dale, the Latin man moves away and pats Beth and Glenn's shoulder, a big grin on his face as Dale carries on speaking. "I thought we had lost you folks for sure."

"How’d y’all get out of there anyway?" Shane seems annoyed or upset. His eyes are on Morales as he leans to one side and waits for an explanation.

"New guy and Beth got us out." Glenn explains with a grin as he wraps an arm around Beth's shoulders and pulls her into him. Its a tight hug, one where her face is mainly pressed into his shoulder, she can smell the sweat on him and she's pretty sure if he keeps his arm this tight then she will end up passed out. It makes her laugh though, he's like an excited puppy who can't stop himself from trying to break her neck which is exactly why she pinches his side. The same she would do with Shawn.

"New guy?" Shane asks as Beth finally manages to get free of Glenn's hold, his eyes are on her and he once again ruins the fun they were having. Beth feels like she is being judged by this man who knows nothing about her, his eyes scanning over her and his jaw clenching.

"Yeah, crazy vato just got into town. Hey, helicopter boy! Come say hello." Morales shouts as Rick steps out of the van. Beth doesn't even think twice as she runs towards him, her arms flying around his neck and his going around her waist. They had been apart for a car ride, one that wasn't even that long, but there had been walkers all around and she had been so scared that she wouldn't see him again and it seems he felt the same too.

"Heard you shoot the gun." Rick whispers as Beth takes a step backwards, his hands are on her shoulders as he looks over her, looking for some sort of wound. He won't find anything but the dried walker blood on her hands. "You alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine - one got a bit too close to Glenn." Beth explains. She can hear Morales speaking to Shane, can see Rick's eyes slide over her shoulder as he searches for Glenn, mouth ready to ask if he's alright but no words come out as he spots something else. Beth turns to follow his eyesight, frowning when she sees Shane and Rick looking at each other in shock.

Shanes mouth fall open but nothing comes out, it doesn't need to as Rick has found someone else and is gasping. He is focusing on the woman and boy still speaking not far away, tears are falling down his face, his knees are almost buckling under him and Beth has no clue what to do or what is even happening until the boy looks their way and beings rushing towards them. "Dad! Dad!" No fucking way.

Beth had seen the photo Rick had, had learnt things about his family through conversations but she had yet to connect the dots between them all. Rick and Carl are falling to the ground, cries heard by everyone. Its heart warming to watch though there is the tinge of jealously eating its way through the side of her brain. It was the reason they had gone to Atlanta, Beth had been worried that they wouldn't find them when everything went shit but now here she was watching the family reunite.

Everyone around them seems to feel the same as they watch the family. Except most people here seem to have some form of family or comfort, someone they knew before and cared about. Everyone but her and Glenn it seems, and it seems Glenn knows that too as he grips her hand tight. Its not romantic, he's just offering her some form of comfort and she takes it without a second thought because a part of her almost feels like she might have lost Rick now, that he won't care as much about her now that he has everything he wanted back.

Its a bitter feeling, its ugly and she knows without a shadow of a doubt that Rick would not do that to her, its just the insecurities in her brain. The same thing seems to be happening to Shane as he looks away from the family, his eyes filled with tears and a sad smile on his face - he looks conflicted like he doesn't know whether to be happy Rick is alive or upset that he might have lost Lori and Carl because of it. Beth had pretty much figured out that they knew each other by the staring and happy smiles Rick is throwing Shanes way, just like she had figured out that Shane had a thing for Lori from the moment he looked at them.

.... 

The night had fallen fast, darkness seeming to erupt out of nowhere and the cold coming with it. Beth had been grateful for the small fire, the clothes Amy had given her and the blanket that Glenn had draped over her shoulders when he saw her still shivering after they had rinsed off the blood down by the creek. She was more grateful for the food that had been passed around, a couple of cans of food that she hadn't really tasted but they had filled her up enough that her body had stopped its aching and twisting even though she hadn't been all that aware of it.

And now they were all sat around the fire, staring into the orange flames as though it would bring them answers. For Beth though it meant she was able to go through her thoughts, the man one being Daryl Dixon - who she had learnt was on a hunt at this moment and wouldn't be back tomorrow. It gave her chance to think about how they would tell him they had left his brother handcuffed to a pipe on a roof, and so far she had come up with no reason good enough. Sure Merle was a dick and a bigot but she wasn't cruel enough to believe he deserved to be left up there.

"Disoriented. I guess that comes closest. Disoriented." Ricks voice broke her out of her thoughts, made her look up from the flames to see him cuddled up with his wife and son, finally looking content from the first moment they met. Beth had yet to speak to his family, something that she had tried but Lori had all but pulled Rick away whenever Beth came close to her. She didn't mind, she knew they needed time to reconnect after everything. "Fear, confusion – all those things but…" Rick carries on speaking as he runs his fingers through Carls hair. Thunder rumbles overhead, the storm moving from the city and over to them. "Disoriented comes closest."

"What about you, Beth?" The group turn to look at her as Dale asks, she must look like a strange sight. A small woman wrapped in a blanket between Glenn and Amy, the same woman who held a gun up to Merle Dixon's face earlier on now sat shivering against the cold as she avoids everyone's eyes and returns her gaze to the fire.

"Strange - exhausted mainly." 

"I bet, I know you haven't slept in a while." It's a harmless joke from Rick, one that has her chuckling with him and Glenn, but its also the truth. She hasn't slept since the hospital and that feels like days ago, but she can see that the joke has been taken other ways by people. Particularly by Lori who has turned to glare at Beth with such hatred that she almost wants to wrap her face in the blanket and never come out.

"Someone had to take watch." Beth tries to joke back with a wince as Rick chuckles, he hasn't noticed the look his wife has given Beth or if he has then he doesn't want to acknowledge it so Beth moves on. "But to answer your question Dale, the truth is I don't really know how to explain how I feel." 

"Words can be meagre things. Sometimes they fall short." Dale says as though he understands, he offers her a gentle smile and a quick pat on her leg. It so similar to how her dad would try to cheer her up whenever she had a bad day that it makes her smile.

"Mom said you died." Carl whispers to Rick, it's clear he only wants his family to hear but everyone else has stopped talking and is looking back at the family. Lori's back is tense and Beth doesn't miss the glare she sends Shanes way, though he doesn't notice because his head is bent down and he seems guilty.

"She had every reason to believe that. Don’t you ever doubt it." 

"When things started to get really bad, they told me at the hospital that they were gonna medevac you and the other patients to Atlanta, and it never happened." Lori says softly as she strokes Ricks hair. Shane finally looks up, eyes burning as he looks at the couple, its obvious he's jealous by the way his eyes follow the movement of Lori's hand, but hidden beneath all that the guilt is still there.

"Well, I’m not surprised after Atlanta fell." Rick says as he sends his wife a loving smile. "And from the look of that hospital, it got overrun."

"Yeah, looks don’t deceive. I barely got them out, you know?" Shane says softly and Beth feels her mouth fall open slightly. She remembers him now, he was there at the hospital when the military came in and started shooting everything up. They had passed each other on the stairs, Shane hadn't even batted an eye at her but Beth remembered registering the uniform he was wearing as she ran up the stairs. He had known that Rick was in that room - which must have meant he knew he was still alive but he chose to leave him there. Or had something happened that convinced him Rick was dead? She didn't want to judge but it was hard not to.

"I can’t tell you how grateful I am to you, Shane. I can’t begin to express it." Rick tells Shane and Beth has to fight the urge to out the man without even knowing the full story. To tell Rick that clearly something had happened between his wife and Shane, that Shane had left him in the hospital for dead. Beth refuses to cause more chaos in the world.

It wouldn't matter anyway because everyone was distracted by the man dropping a log onto his fire not too far away from them. The fire is content with another log, licking it's way up the bark and glowing high. It looks so inviting that Beth wants to move over to sit with the family and just bask in the warmth that the fire in front of her and the blanket on her shoulders is struggling to give her.

"Hey, Ed, you want to rethink that log?" Shane asks as he rests his body on his leg, his eyes are stern as he looks at the family.

"Its cold, man." The man, Ed says. He looks grumpy and annoyed, his wife, Carol who Beth had spoken to quickly to introduce herself, was practically cowering over their daughter, Sophia, both of them shivering slightly but Beth can't tell if its from the cold or the glare on Ed's face.

"The cold don’t change the rules, does it? Keep our fires low, just embers so we can’t be seen from a distance, right?" Shane explains slowly, like he has said it a thousand times before. Beth wonders if the rule is in place for walkers or humans before she realises that it might not matter anymore, not to Shane anyway. The way he viewed people seemed to be like he considered everyone a threat.

"I said it’s cold. You should mind your own business for once." Ed snaps loudly, eyes following Shane as he gets up from his chair and makes his way over to the other fire, standing directly in front of Ed.

"Hey, Ed…" Shane mutters softly as he reaches out to pat Ed's cheek. "Are you sure you want to have his conversation, man?" Despite the soft way he speaks the threat in the words is very clear, hidden but there if you think about it. Beth doesn't know what to think about Shane threating another person, she doesn't agree with it but at the same time there is something about Ed that makes her think he needs to be told more.

"Go on. Pull the damn thing out. Go on!" Carol doesn't even question her husbands tone, she just rushes to get up, eyes meek and downcast as she reaches to pull the log out of the fire. It's still burning as she drops it to the floor and sits herself back down. Shane is there in an instant, putting the log out and kicking it away as he crouches down in front of the women.

"Hey, Carol, Sophia. How are y’all this evening?"

"Fine. We’re just fine." Carol says, her tone is harsh but it doesn't match the worry on her face as she sends Ed a quick look. Her husband looks annoyed, glaring at Carol as though she has said something wrong. Its wrong, something about them is so wrong and Beth doesn't know what to think or make of it. She doesn't want to assume what is happening between them - it could after all be a bad day, but that sounds like a lie to herself.

"Okay."

"I’m sorry about the fire." Carol adds after a few seconds, her head is hung low and her shoulders tense.

"No no no. No apology needed." Shane tells her with a wave of his hand as he smiles at Sophia, he sends on last glare to Ed. "Y’all have a good night, okay?"

"Thank you." Carol mutters, she looks up quickly, her eyes locking with Beth's. Beth can see everything in them, the hurt and the worry, how scared she is of her husband - or that's what she thinks she sees. But in her mind now there is no doubt that Ed is an abusive dick that managed to survive the end of the world because of course he would.

They were the ones who survived everything it seemed. The ones who should have been dead a long time ago have a way of saving themselves, like cockroaches they don't die easy. They are built for the harshness of this world because they don't care, they have no reason to care because who is going to put them away - the police officers who have no police station to lock them in? No, the only way to get rid of a cockroach was to kill them, but that made you as bad as them. Made you stoop down to their level.

"Have you given any thought to Daryl Dixon? He won’t be happy to hear his brother was left behind." Beth looks away from the family, she doesn't want to but she's aware that she can't do anything and instead focuses on Dale.

"I’ll tell him. I dropped the key. It’s on me." T-Dog looks nervous as he speaks, leg bouncing up and down and hands rubbing together.

"I cuffed him. That makes it mine."

"I held a gun to his head." Beth adds as she sips the water that Glenn passes her. Everyone turns to look at her, mixture of shock and confusion on their faces, she just shrugs her shoulders and tries to ease the tension. "What? I thought we were pointing out the things we did wrong?" She passes on the bottle and wraps the blanket back around her as she lets out a sigh.

"Guys, it’s not a competition but if it was then Beth would definitely win." Glenn says with a cheeky grin as Rick lets out a scoff, he sends a grin and a wink to Beth who rolls her eyes. A few people chuckle around them but cut themselves off when they see Glenn's face turn serious. "I don’t mean to bring race into this, but it might sound better coming from a white guy."

"I did what I did. Hell if I’m gonna hide from him." T mutters, but Beth can see he's missing the point. Merle had thrown out words as though they meant nothing, he had beaten T to a pulp, who was to say that Daryl Dixon wouldn't do the same thing? She doesn't want to watch another fight because of a bigot nor does she want to have to pull her gun on another man to stop him. 

"We could lie." Amy says after a few seconds.

"Or tell the truth. Merle was out of control. Something had to be done or he’d have gotten us killed." Andrea says as she throws her hands in the air. Her jaw tenses and her hands clench into fists as she turns to look at Lori, uttering words that sound almost painful for her to say. "Your husband and Beth did what was necessary. And if Merle got left behind, it is nobody’s fault but Merle’s." Its the truth but it seems Lori annoyed at Andreas words and the grin Rick is giving Beth.

"And that’s what we tell Daryl? I don’t see a rational discussion to be had from that, do you? Word to the wise - we’re gonna have our hands full when he gets back from his hunt." Dale adds, going back to the original subject at hand.

"I was scared and I ran. I’m not ashamed of it." T says as he shifts around in his seat, everyone is staring at him and he looks even more uncomfortable than before.

"We were all scared. We all ran. What’s your point?" Andrea points out bluntly, a frown on her face as she waits for him to add something else. She reminds her of Maggie, to the point in a way that comes across as rude but in reality it's just because she stands for no nonsense. Still its annoying and unnecessary in this situation, there is a time and place.

"I stopped long enough to chain that door. Staircase is narrow. Maybe half a dozen geeks can squeeze against it at any one time. It’s not enough to break through that. Not that chain, not that padlock. My point - Dixon’s alive and he’s still up there, handcuffed on that roof. That’s on us." T explains before he gets up and walks away from the fire before anyone can ask him any more question. Merle was alive? Trapped but he was alive.

"That's good right?" She's not really asking them but she can see a few of them nodding with her as she carries on speaking. "I know it's a shit storm in Atlanta but it means we can go get him."

"There are children around, I'd appreciate if you kept your language to yourself." Lori hisses loudly, Beth looks away in shame and her cheeks burning. She had forgotten about the children as she looked at Carl, half asleep on his fathers lap. Truth was she had forgotten the days when she didn't used to swear, it was just convenient no to let the words fall out of her mouth without having to worry about being told off for it.

"She forgot Lori, it's not a problem plus she has a point." Lori glares at Beth again as her husband speaks, patting his wife gently as he gestures to Beth with the other hand. She had clearly been expecting him to take her side in the matter not Beths.

"Well we can discuss it in the morning after you've slept." Its final and there is no room left for discussion. Lori has made her decision and therefore she has made Ricks too. Rick gives Beth a small smile as he nods his head. It doesn't matter if Rick isn't allowed to come with her to get Merle because she'll go by herself if she has too, she'll take the truck and she'll collect him for Daryl Dixon and bring him back here.

If needs be then she could probably convince Glenn to join her without too much trouble.

...

Its not too long after that everyone is heading towards their tents to sleep for the night, Shane on watch on top of the R.V, a large gun on his lap and his eyes focused on where Rick, Lori and Carl are climbing into a tent not too far away.

Beth had been waiting for everyone to head off before she called after the person she wanted to speak to, Andrea. Beth doesn't wait for the woman to get up before she is holding out her hand to stop the blond woman from going any further. "Hey."

"Hi?" Andrea says, she scans around them as though she is hoping someone will step in but the only person around is Amy who is heading towards her tent with a wave and a smile. Beth pulls her hand back as Andrea crosses her arms, intrigued about whatever Beth wants and Beth knows she doesn't have to keep the woman there anymore, she will stay.

"Sorry I know today has been draining but I just wanted a quick chat with you." Beth says, she smiles softly - a familiar one that she tended to do around her teachers and her parents friends. It was kind and small, made her look even younger and tended to ease people, not that people were ever really afraid to be around her but it didn't help to look friendly when speaking with people.

"Now? Can't it wait, I just wanted to be with my sister and go to sleep."

"I understand that, it won't take long." Andrea didn't seem convinced in the slightest as she frowned at Beth. She understood that Andrea wanted to sleep but she didn't want this to go on anymore than it needed to. So instead she let out a sigh, the smile dropping from her face as she spoke. "Trust me, I haven't slept in god knows how many days, I don't want this to take longer than it should."

"Alright."

"I - listen we are going to be this group together for however knows long, it's not going to go well for us if we hate each other."

"I don't hate you." Andrea said, Beth could tell she meant it or she thought she did. But after all the glares and mumbled words it was hard not to think anything else, hard not to notice anything else when they were sat in the same group and Andrea could barely utter a nice sentence about her and Rick.

"You don't like me either and I get it. I'm a threat to whatever it is you are holding onto but I want to assure you that I am not coming in here and trying to take over nor do I want to threaten it either." Beth explained her point of view. Andrea tensed her shoulders and her arms fell by her side, Beth could practically see the defensive side of Andrea taking over as she prepared herself to fight against what Beth was saying.

"Beth, you are a little girl, what do I have to be threatened by?" And there it was, the slight dig in her words. She was belittling Beth, making her feel lesser because she knew what Beth was saying was true and it scared her. No one wanted to admit when they were threatened by someone.

"Someone younger." Andrea opened her mouth to speak but Beth cut her off. "Someone Glenn would rather take with him, someone who could outright hold a gun to Merle Dixons head well everyone else was too scared. Someone who has already got the respect of your group. These are all guesses, things I think or you could be honest and tell me what it is that you don't like about me." Beth had had enough now, she was regretting starting this conversation as her body sagged, she was tired, so tired she might not wake up for days.

"You almost got us killed." 

"I didn't mean to but if I'm being honest then I would do it all over again because I'm alive and Rick is alive." Beth admitted, it scared her that that was the truth. That she would risk a whole group of people if it meant she was alive. "We saved ourselves because we had no other choice."

"It was reckless - "

"It was survival. This world is going to demand things from us now, choice and decisions aren't going to be easy but if we want to live then we'll have to make them. They won't always be sane and sometimes they might even be stupid, reckless and dangerous but its what we have to do." When had it come to this point? Beth didn't even know when she realised this, probably when she walked back out into the world again, when she put her trust in a man who had woke up from a coma and another man she had heard over the radio. That had been pretty reckless of her but she didn't regret it because she was alive and she was here.

"You talk like you already know." Andrea says after a while, the stance has lessened and she doesn't look as defensive now as she stares down at Beth.

"I suppose I figured some stuff out today. Truth is Andrea, I don't want you to dislike me."

"I don't want to dislike you either Beth." Andrea admits, again like it pains her before she runs her fingers through her loose curls and her mouth turns into a smile. She turns to look over to her tent where Amy is sat in the entrance just watching the sky. "I know Amy thinks I'm being ridiculous."

"I have to agree with Amy."

"Honest little thing aren't you."

"I try to be, I'm sorry if I was too blunt."

"No, blunt is my language and you were right about a lot of things." Andrea says with a laugh, Beth knows it is. She already knew Andrea would respond better to Beth being straight to the point instead of dodging around the bullet. "I should say this because I owe you the same amount of honesty. Lori doesn't like you, different reasons from why I didn't like you but she doesn't. She doesn't want you around Rick and she'll do her best to try and keep you away."

"Thanks for telling me." It was already something she had begun to figure out but it helped that she wasn't the only one thinking Lori had a problem with her. Though Beth is more focused on the past tense of Andrea's 'like'.

"No Beth, thank you. Despite the fact that you put our asses in the shit today, you also managed to come through and you saved them too." It as close as they are going to get to some sort of apology for everything and Beth is willing to accept it with a smile and then head on her way to sleep somewhere.

"So we are even?"

"Yeah." Andrea says with another laugh as she reaches out to pat Beths shoulder before thinking better of it as she pulls her hand away and instead nods her head. "Goodnight Beth."

"Night." Beth says as she watches the woman head to her tent. It feels as though a weight has been lifted off her shoulders. One problem sorted out and one more added to the list. Beth turns to look up at Shane who is still watching the Grimes' tent, she follows his eyes and hears the unmistakable sounds from within.

She doesn't like Shane, doesn't trust him but she doesn't think anyone should have to listen to the person they love have sex with someone else. She doesn't think it's fair that God would make people fall in love with people who were never going to be there, that they would be doomed to watch with other people or doomed to be the second best because the person they loved was never going to love them back no matter what they did for them.

...

When Beth wakes up in the morning she's alone, Glenn had been kind enough to offer to share his tent with her and she had took it. They had fallen asleep the moments their heads touched their pillows with enough space in between them that they wouldn't roll into each other and wake up to something awkward. And now here she was rubbing her eyes and stretching her arms, finally feeling well rested after the first time in a while.

There was sounds from the outside as Beth carefully opened the flap and exited into the warm day. The clouds were gone from the sky but left behind was the warm Georgian sun beating down on them. She could see Glenn stood pouting like a child beside his car, Rick making his way over to her with Lori behind her as he stopped in front of her, a small smile on his face.

"How'd you sleep?" He asks, hands on his hips and looking just as well rested as she feels.

"Would have been like a baby if Glenn hadn't have been snoring." Beth teases, raising her voice just enough that the Korean man can hear them.

"Heard that!" He shouts but doesn't move over to join them.

"So are you and him - " Rick doesn't finish his question but Beth can see what he's going to ask and cringes. She can see why people would think that, they had come back together in a car and practically stayed by each others side, she had also slept in his tent. And she knew there wouldn't be a problem if they were together, or finding comfort in each other during these difficult times but that just wasn't what they were to each other.

"No, not at all. Just friends and nothing more." Rick smiles and nods his head as he pats her arm. Beth watches him make his way over to Glenn, a small smile on her face at the brotherly concern was just showing. Shawn had done the same when he found out about her and Jimmy, awkward questions that he didn't know how to ask and poorly worded sentences that he couldn't fully complete.

"Can we chat?" Beth had all but forgotten Lori was there, watching her until the older woman spoke. Beth nodded her head and followed her slightly away from the tent and the prying eyes of the group. "Listen I don't know what happened between you and Rick but it stops now."

"Excuse me?" Beth asks shocked because there is no way that Lori was suggesting what Beth thought she was. First Rick with her and Glenn, which made more sense, and now Lori. Did everyone think she was just some girl who slept around with any man she laughed with? She wasn't that much was true nor was she interested in any of these men around her.

"I won't judge him for what he did, he didn't know if I was alive and you are a pretty girl - "

"What he did?" Beth asks with a slight laugh as she takes out her hair tie and proceeds to tie her hair into a slightly less messy ponytail as though her and Lori are just having a normal chat. "Are you suggesting that me and Rick slept together?" Beth asks once her hair is done, she tilts her head to the side an amused smile on her face. Nothing about this is funny but she can't help but find humour in the situation.

"Whatever happened it doesn't matter, you just need to stay away from him now, there are plenty of boys - "

"Nothing happened between me and Rick, he saved my life and I saved his, I consider him nothing more than a friend, that is all." Beth explained slowly as though she was talking to a child. Lori was staring down at her as though she was the child, as though she didn't believe but Beth didn't know what to say or how she was supposed to explain to Lori any clearer that her and Rick were nothing more than friends.

"Sweetie I've seen the way you look at him, I get it, but you are a little girl and he is a married man." It was patronizing and Beth just raised her eyebrows. She had no idea how she even looked at Rick but she was certain it was nothing close to looking at the man with anything other than kindly. Don't get her wrong, Rick was an attractive man, Beth wasn't blind but he was old enough to be her dad (kind of if he had had her very young) or her brother.

"I'm eighteen and I'm not interested in your husband." Beth stated clearly as Lori crossed her arms over her chest and tense her jaw. Beth could feel the first flames of anger coursing through her veins. First Andrea and now Lori, no, enough was enough. "If I look at him with anything, it's respect - " Beth said, she knew that it would be a low blow but she didn't care. " - respect that a man like that could be with a woman who would sleep with his best friend despite knowing if her husband was alive or not."

"That - I - "

"Nothing happened right? I'm not stupid and neither is your husband, I won't tell him because despite what you seem to believe I am not interested nor have I ever been interested in your husband as anything more then a friend nor am I interested in being a homewrecker, I'll leave that to you." Beth hissed under her breath as Lori's eyes grew wide and her mouth opened and closed like a fish.

"I still want you to stay away from him." Lori whispered back, her eyes flickering around as she looked at the people watching them. Beth didn't turn away from her though, she wouldn't back down from this petty thing people seemed to have with her. She wasn't some sort of harlot that was going to mess things up, that wasn't her goal.

"If you are jealous and insecure then that's your problem, I won't stay away from someone because you don't know how to tell the difference between a friend and a lover."

"I'm warning you, don't test me." Lori threatens as Beth moves to turn away, she had said all she needed to say but it seemed Lori still had some point to make. Her fingers were long and skinny, they overlapped around Beths wrist but they were strong and tight. Beth glared at her as she tried to shake the hand off her wrist. "You are messing with adult things."

"Lori let her go, you have no idea what you are talking about and you are making a scene." Andrea seemed to appear out of nowhere between them, covering the way Lori was holding onto Beth from view but yet Beth couldn't help but feel grateful for her interference before she flipped off on the woman and caused more problems. How would the older woman feel if Beth pulled her gun out and demanded that Lori lets her go?

"It's me you don't want to test, now let go of my hand before I call your husband over here." Beth threatens lowly, it does the job as Lori lets go of her wrist and steps away.

Beth doesn't look back as storms away from the woman. What a fucking bitch. All of them so concerned with such - such stupidity. Beth was not here to steal anyone from anyone, she wasn't here to meet a boyfriend or have meaningless sex with a man nearly two times her age. She simply wanted to survive and do it long enough so that one day they might actually be able to live again.

These women were so concerned about their husbands, how relevant they were to the group that they actually doing the opposite. It was petty and stupid. If Lori wanted to ask about her husband and Beth then she could do so without trying to belittle Beth and if Andrea wanted to help the group then she could do so by picking up a gun and showing her worth to everyone. No one was ever going to hand you what you wanted, or what you thought you deserved, not in this world anyway. It was going to be tough but the only way you were ever going to get what you wanted was by taking it. And that was what Beth had done.

It was the reason why she was able to walk up to Rick and Glenn and stand between them without a care as they watched Dale, Jim and Morales remove things for the car. It was the reason why no one asked her why she had a holster with a gun in it and a knife in her boot. It was the reason why she had managed to earn some form of respect from almost everyone - including Merle Dixon. Not because she was sleeping around or batting her eyes.

"Look at ‘em Bethy. Vultures. Yeah, go on, strip it clean." The thoughts leave her head as she turns to look at Glenn in shock, he's being dramatic as he leans on her but she doesn't think that is anything new to any of these people. It's the fact that he called her Bethy without a second though, a nickname only her family had ever used, something that shocks her more is the fact that she doesn't mind him saying it.

"Generators need every drop of fuel they can get. Got no power without it. Sorry, Glenn." The fact that Dale doesn't really look all that sorry has Beth chuckling as she pushes Glenn off her.

"Thought I’d get to drive it at least a few more days." Glenn whines as he wipes away pretend tears, sniffling to add to the drama.

"We'll steal one again one day, I promise." Beth states as she pats his arm with a grin. Its not just for him, she would love to drive one of these cars if she could and she is sad to see this car go. But Atlanta is just a bit away and there is probably many cars similar to this one just left on the streets, if they ever go back and have the time then she will defiantly be looking for one.

Glenn grins at her and nods as he leads them away from the car, Rick is ahead of them walking towards his wife who is handing laundry and pretending like she didn't try to threaten Beth as she smiles at her husband. Beth looks away as Glenn hands her some breakfast, a can of overly sweet fruit that once she would have turned her nose up at before and instead head for the fresh fruit her family had but now its almost like a godsend.

"What did Lori want?" Glenn asks as he sits down and stretches out his legs, Beth looks down at him and nibbles on the fruit. "She want to warn you away from Rick - no, she actually did!" Glenn exclaims as he sits up straight, mouth falling open as Beth nods her head.

"Yeah she did, told me to stay away from him." The two turn to look at where Rick and Lori are talking, neither seeming overly happy with whatever they are saying. Beth licks her lips as she places the can on the ground and sits beside Glenn. "Not that she has to worry but I just think its hypocritical when she's been sleeping with Shane." Its mindless words, ones she doesn't really think of before she speaks.

"Are you being serious? You've been here one night and you already figure out what I didn't even know. How?" Glenn rambles out, he seems shocked and Beth guesses maybe the two sleeping together wasn't as common knowledge as she thought it might have been.

"It's not hard, the longing looks and silent confession from Lori - all you have to do is pay attention."

"Sorry Nancy Drew, guess not everyone is as smart as you." Glenn says, Beth smirks. She knows he doesn't mean it rudely, he's teasing her but the way he says it reminds her so much of Shawn that she can't help herself. It's nice to have someone around that can give her the comfort the way her siblings used to do, in a way it means she doesn't have to miss it as much as she should.

"Hm, Rick also thinks something is happening between us." Beth says as she looks back over to the couple still talking in quiet whispers as Glenn frowns and follows her gaze before turning back to her with a grimace on his face.

"No offence but no - I mean - god - you are a pretty girl and everything but - you - you are not my type." Glenn struggles to get out when Beth raises her eyebrows and rests her hands on her lap as she leans forward. He's blushing by the end of his stuttered sentence and his eyes refuse to look at her face, it makes her laugh as she slaps his knee and leans back in her chair.

"No offence taken." Beth says with a smile as Glenn finally lets out a breath and looks to her. "I don't think I could deal with your snoring every night."

"Like I could deal with your kicking?"

"I do not kick."

"Oh yes you do - " Glenn gets up from his seat as Beth grins despite herself, he throws his arms around and kicks out his legs. "Honestly it's like sleeping beside Mike Tyson, I think I have bruises all over my body." The two chuckle, bickering back and forth as they see Shane driving up in his jeep, jumping out with a grin on his face as he throws his hands in the air.

"Water’s here, y’all. Just a reminder to boil before use." The grin goes in an instant as he notices Lori and Rick talking and Beth can't help but nod her head in that direction to Glenn who turns so fast to stare that its obvious what he's doing. Andrea walks past them with a small chuckle as she waves as both of them, Beth nods back but Glenn is focused on what drama could unfold in front of them.

"Honestly you would think it was some sort of soap with the way - " Beth doesn't get to finish her sentence as a loud scream is heard throughout the camp. Her hand is pulling out the knife from her boot in an instant and her feet are already taking her that way. Gone was the fear that used to paralyse her so much that she couldn't even leave the staff room at the hospital and in its place is an assurance that she can defend her camp if she needs to. Climbing out of a tank and running for your life does that to people.

"Hey Carl, Sophia, you guys ok?" Beth asks as she runs ahead of the people, pushing through the bushes and bending down in front of the children. They run to her and wrap their arms around her waist as she awkwardly pats their heads, turning to look at Glenn, Rick, Shane and Lori. "Hey guys I can't move."

"It’s over there." A man shouts from ahead of them as the children finally let go of her and run towards their parents.

"Beth don't - " Beth slaps away Glenn's hand as he tries to hold her back and instead carries on going forward towards the tin can alarm the group seemed to have placed around their camp. She can hear people talking behind her, trying to comfort the children and she can hear the gentle footsteps of the men following behind her too as they carefully enter the small clearing.

A dead deer lays on the ground, a green arrow sticking out of its side and a walker tearing into its flesh, the sound is disgusting and one reminiscent of the horse they had lost in Atlanta. It fails to notice the people beginning to circle around it until Andrea gasps loudly, stumbling backwards as she grips onto Amy. Beth sends her a quick glare.

The walker growls as it stands on its legs, eyes staring at all the food in front of it. It used to be a man by the looks of it, pale grey skin starting to fall off around its mouth as it rotted and hands grabbing at air as it stumbles towards them. Beth doesn't understand why none of them have moved to kill it until Rick has a shove in his hand and is hitting the thing over the head. It falls to the ground pretty easy, still growling and struggling to get back up as Rick carries on hitting it, and then Dale brings down his axe, chopping it off by the neck.

"It’s the first one we’ve had up here. They never come this far up the mountain." Dale says with wide eyes as he rests the axe on the floor, his breath is slightly laboured as he leans onto his knees.

"Well, they’re running out of food in the city, that’s what." Jim mumbles as he stares down at the body. Beth doesn't know what to think of him yet, there is some sort of strange air around him that doesn't exactly sit right with Beth.

"Hard to believe when we fed them a horse just yesterday." No one responds to Beths statement. They don't have time to as a branch snaps in the trees followed by loud footsteps, everyone has their weapons raised as they wait for another walker to emerge from the trees with a growl. But it seems there is no need to worry as Shane lowers his weapon and lets out a sigh.

"Son of a bitch. That’s my deer! Look at it. All gnawed on by this…" It's a young man, maybe 23 or 24, Beth can't really tell as he looks down at the deer, his dark hair short on his head. But she knows by the thick accent that falls from his lips, that without a doubt this is Daryl Dixon, brother to Merle Dixon. "Filthy, disease-bearing, motherless poxy bastard!" He looks up at the group as he finishes speaking and Beth can't help the gasp that falls from her lips and the blush on her cheeks.

In her life she had always been attracted to the good farm looking boys she grew up with - boys like Jimmy who have that whole boy-next-door look. Ones that were soft spoken and kind. Yet as she stares at this man, she can't help but feel like she has been lying to himself. He's rugged and dirty, his shirt has no sleeves and they show his tanned biceps well. There is scruff on his face, a surprisingly cute button nose and the sharpest bluest eyes she has ever seen in her life. Everything about him just seems to fit together perfectly.

"Calm down, son. That’s not helping." Beth blinks and shakes her head as Dale speaks, breaking her out of her very inappropriate thoughts about the young man in front of her. Daryl stalks towards Dale, like a wild animal sizing up its prey as he bends down slightly.

"What do you know about it old man? Why don’t you take that stupid hat and go back to “On Golden Pond”?" Whatever spell she was under broke the moment he opened his mouth to insult Dale without any reason, lip curling up in a sneer as he glares at the old man. "I’ve been tracking this deer for miles." And then he speaks softer and if possible more raspy, his eyes flickering over everyone but her and Rick. He reaches down to pull out the arrow, wiping it on his jeans as he speaks again. "Gonna drag it back to camp, cook us up some venison. What do you think? Do you think we can cut around this chewed up part right here?"

"That's a stupid idea." Beth mumbles, he hears her though as his head snaps towards her. Daryl stares at her for a second before he looks away but that doesn't stop her from noticing the tips of his ears turning red despite the fact that her heart is currently trying to beat its way out of chest.

"That’s a damn shame. I got some squirrel—about a dozen or so. That’ll have to do." He says lowly just as the walker head begins biting down on nothing, the groans leaving its mouth as Amy and Andrea back away in disgust. "Come on, people. What the hell?

Beth is so focused on the walker beside her, staring at her ankles that she doesn't think as she plunges her knife into its head. It stops instantly and her knife is now covered in more blood, crusting around the top and almost pitch black. Her eyes move to Daryl again, surprised to see his crossbow is aimed at the walker and his eyes are narrowed as he glares at her. "Next time you've got to get the brain." Beth says to Dale as she feels herself blush again.

"What the hell blondie, I could have shot you!" Daryl snaps at her as he lowers the crossbow, finger still on the trigger.

"It's Beth and you could just say thank you."

"Merle! Merle! Get your ugly ass out here! I got us some squirrel! Let’s stew ‘em up." Daryl shouts as he moves past the group, practically shoving Beth into Glenn as he barges past them and back to camp. Beth follows after everyone else, frown on her face and worry in her veins. She knows what is going to happen and well Daryl seems like a dick, much like his brother - she still is worried about how he may react.

"Daryl, just slow up a bit. I need to talk to you." Shane says slowly but he moves faster than the rest of them. "About Merle. There was a - There was a problem in Atlanta."

"He dead?" Daryl asks, he stops in his tracks, focusing solely on Shane but Beth can see the tears lingering in his eyes. There is guilt in her stomach, twisting it and making her want to look away from him.

"We’re not sure." Shane says, he holds out his hand as Beth prepares to step forward, his head shaking. Glenn pulls her back to his side, holding her there. They don't want her facing Daryl just yet for whatever reason but Beth feels like she might be able to explain to him better than anyone else. Maybe she's been overconfident or stupid but there is something in her that just wants to be the one to comfort Daryl when this all goes shit.

"He either is or he ain’t!"

"No easy way to say this, so I’ll just say it." Rick takes the lead, walking forward slowly as Daryl snaps his head to look at Rick. 

"Who are you?"

"Rick Grimes."

"Rick Grimes, you got something you want to tell me?" The anger in his voice is obvious as he steps closer to Rick with a glare, waiting for someone to tell him what happened to his brother. Beth sighs, this is not going to end well, she didn't know why she thought it would all be ok. Like Daryl would accept that his brother wasn't around with a nod and get on with his life - that wasn't how most people behaved.

"Your brother was a danger to us all, so I handcuffed him on a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal. He’s still there." Rick explains as best as he can - fast like ripping off a band aid. Except this wasn't a band aid, it was like having to rebreak a bone in order to set it so it didn't heal wrong. Messy and far too painful to be considered helpful. It was wring of them to ever leave Merle behind and if Beth had known then she would have made Glenn turn the car around to go get him.

It was one thing to hold a gun to someone's head - to change in order to fit the new world. It was another thing to leave someone behind for dead.

"Hold on. Let me process this. You’re saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof and you left him there?!" Daryl's voice is full of anger but there is also a good amount of pain there too. Tears are falling down his cheeks and his hands are clenching into fists as Rick mumbles something that Beth doesn't catch.

It doesn't matter though because whatever he said is enough for Daryl to kick off, throwing the rope of squirrels at Rick and heading forward. Beth doesn't know who she is moving forward for - whether it's Daryl, she understands why he is upset, or whether it's to help Rick. It is probably for both but all she knows is that she is shoving Glenn away and rushing forward.

"Hey! Stop it!" Beth shouts at someone, whoever she is against right now. Its all so confusing in her head and shes far too focused on the men fighting in front of her that she doesn't notice when T-Dog throws his arm out in front of her causing her to fall back onto her ass at the same time Shane slams into Daryl, knocking him into the ground.

"Shit you alright, Beth?" T asks as he helps her up of the ground. Her stomach hurts but its nothing serious. She understands why he's done it when she sees the shiny knife in Daryl's hand as he breaks free from Shane, swinging widely at Rick and missing each time. Beth wonder if its intentional, the guy can apparently shoot deer and squirrels but struggles to cut a man and in suddenly on his knees after being punched in the gut by Rick and put into a chokehold by Shane.

"Okay. Okay." His knife is in Ricks hand now and Beth is moving forward as she watches him be forced to the ground.

"You’d best let me go!" He reminds her so much of a wild animal, kicking and screaming because he can't see another way out of the corner he had backed himself into by lashing out. "Choke hold’s illegal."

"You can file a complaint. Come on, man. We’ll keep this up all day." The way Shane speaks has Beth frowning and moving even closer. She can see the slight grin on his face, hear the taunting in his tone - he is enjoying having Daryl at his mercy underneath him and its just sick. Well he didn't go by it the best way by trying to kill Rick, Beth can understand the anger and hurt behind his motives.

"Just let him go." Beth whispers as she stands beside Rick, he is playing with the sharp knife between his fingers as he looks at Beth from the corner of his eye. "Come on Rick, this isn't right." Rick flinches as he looks down at Shane who is still holding Daryl to the ground.

"I just want a calm discussion about this Beth."

"Then let him stand up, he hasn't got his knife." Beth states as she takes the knife from Rick and tucks it into her holster next to her gun. The three men are watching her in confusion as she sighs and pulls at the end of her ponytail. "Fact of the matter is - is that the reason Merle is even locked up is because of me. Daryl has every right to be upset with us."

"Alright, Beth has vouched for you. Do you think if we let you up we can manage to have a calm discussion about this?" Rick asks as he bends down to look at Daryl, the two lock eyes as the sheriff waits for Daryl to speak, but those sharp blue eyes are already on Beth as he nods his head. Shane moves slowly as he lets Daryl stand up, hands ready to grab him again if they need to.

"What did you do?" Daryl asks her as he takes a step towards her, Beth holds up her hand as Rick and Shane both move to stop him. She doesn't want that and she knows, somewhere deep inside, that whatever happens he is not going to even think about touching her or going for her the way he did with Rick. "What happened, girl?" Daryl asks again, his voice even lower and raspy, her heart beating faster as she stares up at him.

"It wasn't on a whim. Your brother does not work and play well with others." Beth admits, she sees his tongue move over the back of his teeth as he nods his head. "He was shooting walkers from the top of the store, he was gonna get us all killed and he was damn near close to killing T so I did what had to be done."

"And what was that?" Daryl growls, he moves closer until they are practically toe to toe and she can smell the forest and sweat on him. Her hand is still held up to stop Rick and Shane as she sees them move slightly. She know she should be intimidated like with Merle but all she can do is stare into those blue eyes, the tips of his red ears and the tense jaw like some blushing teenager.

"I pointed my gun at his head, told him to stop being a dick and gave Rick the opening to stop him." Why in gods name does she sound so breathy? It seems Daryl notices it too as he struggles to comprehend what she has said with how she said it. There are a few moments where they simply stare at each other without saying anything, taking in the person before them.

"You - you - you pointed a gun at my brother?" Daryl asks sharply and all Beth can do is nod at him for the moment. She needs to take a step back, blink or do something that would knock her out of this trance. Someone, Glenn she thinks, coughs from nearby breaking her out of the moment as she looks down and blushes.

"Yes, I wasn't going to shoot him, just make him shit, but I'll own up to being the main reason Merle got locked up."

"No Beth it's not your fault. I had the key. I dropped it." Beth turns to look at T who is stood behind her. She can feel her ponytail touching Daryl's chest and it just reminds her of how close he really was to her but she doesn't move even though a part of her brain is telling her to. Just looking away from him is enough to clear any stupid thoughts from her brain and allow her to focus again.

"You couldn’t pick it up?" Daryl asks, he's one step away from swinging out again with or without his knife.

"Well, I dropped it in a drain." Daryl chokes slightly, Beth turns to look at him and sees his eyes are closed and one of his hands is on his forehead. He's trying to hold himself together but it seems like any more news he might hear will have him over the edge again and that's what has Beth taking a step backwards. She's close enough that she can reach out and touch his arm with her hand.

"If it’s supposed to make me feel better, it don’t."

"Well, maybe this will. Look, I chained the door to the roof so the geeks couldn’t get at him - with a padlock." 

"Daryl, that's got to count for something." Beth says as she looks at him, T is walking away now, head hung low but Beth is still there. She doesn't know why the urge to comfort him is there, why she wants to wrap him in a hug as his tears fall. He's been nothing but rude to any of them, he could have hurt Rick but she's still in front of him. It's not like she feels sorry for him and she doesn't pity him - but she feels for him. Beth is alone in this world family wise, she know how it feels to not know if your family is safe or not. She helped Rick find his and she'll help him find his brother. "I can go with you if you want, take you to him and help you bring him back."

Daryl stares at her, his jaw ticking as he lifts his thumb to his lips - it seems like a nervous habit, one that is making her blush. He doesn't give her an answer as he pulls his knife from her holster and turns away from her, Rick follows after him, no doubt explaining where Merle is and Beth just stares at his retreating figure.

...

Beth has taken shade under a tree on the top of a hill, Glenn beside her with his eyes closed and his hat slanted to block the slight sun coming through the leaves, when she sees Rick and Shane heading towards them, or more precisely Daryl who is sat beside the cooking fire. He hadn't spoke to Beth since he walked away and if she was honest then she didn't expect him too nor did she really want him too. A war was already going on in her head, one side a blushing mess over him and the other side finding him far too annoying to even want to speak to him ever again.

"Well, look, I—I don’t, okay, Rick? So could you just—could you throw me a bone here, man? Could you just tell me why? Why would you risk your life for a douche bag like Merle Dixon?" Glenn opens his eyes as Beth pushes herself off the tree. She can hear the disdain in Shane's voice as he practically calls after Rick, his words carrying loud enough that Daryl has stood up and is glaring at Shane.

"Hey, choose your words more carefully." 

"Oh no, I did. Douche bag’s what I mean. Merle Dixon—the guy wouldn’t give you a glass of water if you were dying of thirst." Shane says, he's taunting again and Beth has had enough of it. She steps between Shane and Daryl, a hand on each of their chests before another fight can start, finds herself feeling rather small.

"Stop being a dick would you, that's his brother." Beth snaps as she looks up at Shane, he stares down at her with a frown, his mouth is open and he's ready to say something. Beth doesn't want to be his target next, she suspects that once Shane sets his sights on winding you up then he doesn't stop until you snap, or until he has grown bored with trying to make someone miserable.

"What he would or wouldn’t do doesn’t interest me. I can’t let a man die of thirst—me. Thirst and exposure. We left him like an animal caught in a trap. That’s no way for anything to die, let alone a human being." Rick intervenes before anyone else can speak. Beth pushes both men back as they begin to glare at each other, stepping out from between them.

"So you and Daryl, that’s your big plan?" Fuck when did Lori even turn up. Was Beth going to get another lecture about touching someone else who belonged to her? Honestly she didn't care, she would never sleep with Shane nor would she ever sleep with Rick, Lori can keep them both to herself until it blows up in her face and both of them leave her.

"Oh, come on." Glenn mutters as Rick turns to look at him.

"I - " Rick cut himself off with a rub to his eyes before he opened them. "You know the way. You’ve been there before. In and out, no problem. You said so yourself. It’s not fair of me to ask, I know that, but I’d feel a lot better with you along." Daryl rolls his eyes and Beth knows why. She knows Rick is scared to be alone with Daryl and Merle, that he's worried they might throw him off the building after 'what he did'. 

"Fine if I'm going then Beth's going too." Glenn says quickly as he turns to grin at Beth, nudging her shoulder and wiggling his eyebrows. Beth frowns, it feels like he is trying to tell her something but doesn't actually want to say the words. Rick looks concerned at them both, his jaw tensing but he doesn't say anything. "Come on, you're my partner in crime." 

"Of course, I already told Daryl I would go." Beth says as Glenn grins again and throws his arm over her shoulder. She can see Daryl looking at them with a slight frown between his eyebrows, concern on his face but he doesn't say anything.

"That’s just great. Now you’re gonna risk three men and a little girl now, huh?" Shane asks as he moves to stand in front of Rick, throwing his arms towards Beth and Glenn. Beth rolls her own eyes, she couldn't even count how many times this group had called her a 'little girl' since the moment she had got out of that car yesterday. Did they do the same to Carl? Call him little boy or did they make him feel like he was a big strong man? The answer was obvious to her, she knew how they treated Carl compared to her. They didn't know her or what she was capable of.

"Four men and a pretty badass girl." T says as he appears beside her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. Beth gives him a big grin.

"My day just gets better and better, don’t it?" Daryl mutters under his breath but he's close enough for Beth and T to hear. Ungrateful son of a bitch, can't just be happy that people are here ready to risk their lives in order to save his brother. "Why you two?" He adds when he sees them looking at him, pointing to them.

"You wouldn’t even begin to understand. You don’t speak my language." T says as he walks away, upset with Daryl or maybe Merle. Whatever it was he doesn't care to explain and Beth doesn't blame him. He didn't have to do this after everything Merle had done to him but he was stepping up, being the bigger man to save the racist man who beat his ass and held a gun to his head.

"Your brother may be an ass that I had to threaten with a gun but he doesn't deserve to be left up there to die." Beth explained her side, she expected him to say more or defend his brother but he just stayed staring at her, mouth opening slightly as he dropped his eyes away from her. "I know it might not seem like much but the moment I found out last night I wanted nothing more than to go back and get him - I was even going to try and make Glenn go with me this morning if no one else would."

"You'd have gone by yourself?" Beth looks to where Glenn is now talking with Rick and Shane before she looks back to Daryl. He seems confused by her, like he doesn't understand why she would consider doing that, like he can't figure her out.

"It was wrong for us to even leave him up there in the first place, I'm sorry." Beth says as she takes a step forward and offers him a small smile. Daryl looks at her again, even more confused than before, he then looks at the gun in her holster and the knife sticking out of her boot and Beth speaks before she can stop herself. "I know how to use them if that's what you're worried about."

"Just wanted to make sure you're prepared, girl."

"You went through Hell to find us. You just got here and you’re gonna turn around and leave?" Beth turns to look at where Lori has raised her voice, she is staring at Rick with such desperation that Beth can't look away. "To Hell with the guns, Shane is right. Merle Dixon? He’s not worth one of your lives, even with guns thrown in. Tell me. Make me understand."

"We owe a debt to a man we met and his little boy. Lori, if they hadn’t taken us in, I’d have died. It’s because of them that I made it back to you at all. They said they’d follow us to Atlanta. They’ll walk into the same trap we did if I don’t warn him." Rick states and Beth almost feels like slapping herself across the face. She had all but forgotten about Morgan and Duane in the whole mess of yesterday. They had said they wanted to come up to Atlanta. What if they walked into the mess they had left behind because they didn't know what happened to Rick and Beth? "The only way they have to get in touch with us was a walkie-talkie in the bag I dropped. He’s got the other one. Our plan was to connect when they got closer."

"These are our walkies?" Shane asks with a frown.

"So use the C.B., what’s wrong with that?" Andrea is here now, the same frown on her face as though she is going to be offended that they don't want to use the C.B. But she isn't glaring at them so it seems there has been some improvement. 

"The C.B.’s fine. It’s the walkies that suck to crap. Date back to the seventies, don’t match any other bandwidth, not even the scanners in our cars." Shane explains to her, he seems to have calmed down now like he understands that there is more to this little mission than getting Merle back. They could have more guns which means more protection but she knows she doesn't have to explain that to him, mainly because she knows Rick already has.

"I need that bag."

"Then take Shane with you, not the little girl." Lori whispers to Rick but Beth is close enough to hear.

"She saved my life Lori, and as much as I don't want her out there risking her life, the matter of the fact is is that I don't trust anyone to watch my back as good as her." It makes her feel all warm inside to have someone praise her like Rick has. That he trusts her more than anyone else here, more than Shane who he has known longer. She trusts him too and she'll bring him back to his family, even if his wife annoys her.

  
  
...

"Good morning Mr Dale, Mr Jim." Beth says softly, sounding every bit like an old-fashioned Georgian woman, as she makes her way over to the R.V with T-Dog, Rick had sent her over to speak about the bolt cutters while he tried to talk down his wife. The men look at her with their own smiles though she can see they are waiting for her to tell them what it is she wants. "I heard you have some bolt cutters."

"You might have heard right." Dale says with his own grins as he puts down the stuff he had in his hands. "Though no more calling me Mr, makes me feel old." Beth nods her head. 

"Yeah, we get to that roof, though; we’ll need to cut that chain and the handcuffs." T explains as he crosses his arms over his chest. The guilt he feels is written all over his face and Beth knows it won't go away until they get to Merle.

"I never like lending tools. The last time I did - and yes, I am talking about you - let’s just say your bag of guns wasn’t the only bag that was dropped. My tools got left behind with Merle." It makes her feel as though she is being scolded. Like she was the one who left behind Dale's tools and not his actual group. Beth turns to look at where Daryl is pacing back and forth in front of the truck and Glenn is leaning on the wheel, maybe he should have been the one to come and speak to Dale instead of her.

"I can't promise anything." Beth starts as she runs her hands through her hair and turns back to look at Dale. "I know you know that but I will do my best to make sure we get those tools back to but in order to do that we really need to borrow those cutter." Dale nods his head as he reaches into his tool box and pulls them out, T beings to reach for them but Dale pulls them back.

"I'll give you these but then Rick has to give me one of those guns, my pick."

"I'm sure he would agree to that without a problem." She'll talk to him when they are in the van, convince him if she has too but she doesn't think that Rick will have a problem handing over a gun. If anything it will be Shane who won't want them handed out.

"Dale, let’s sweeten the deal a bit. Now that cube van of yours…" Jim says as he coughs, a smirk on his face as he speaks forward.

"What about it?" Beth asks. The van is big and she's sure there are a lot of parts on there that could be of use but should they need to get away fast one day it would probably be a lot more useful than the jeep or any other car around here. The van is also where Daryl is getting impatient and Glenn is staring out of the window, his hand tapping on the wheel as he waits for the rest of them to join him.

"The R.V.’s radiator hose is shot. That’s a problem if we need to get somewhere and wanna get very far. And the hose on that van is just about a perfect match. Well, enough that I can make it fit." Jim says and Beth bites on her bottom lip as she looks behind her. Rick is just coming away from Lori but they are still talking as they walk, she doesn't want to make decisions for him as she already has with the guns but they need to be on their way.

"I’ll tell you what - we get back, you can strip that van down to the bare metal. Anything you want, but we need those." Beth says with a sigh as she points to the cutters, waiting for one of them to add something more to the list but they stay quiet as Dale hands the bolt cutters over to T-Dog and bids them goodbye.

The horn on the truck makes her jump as it blares out around them. Beth turns quickly with a glare, ready to tell off Glenn only to sigh again when she sees Daryl leaning threw the driver seat window, his hand pressing down repeatedly on the horn, Glenn is leaning away from him, his eyes closed and his head thrown back. 

"Come on, blondie let’s go!" Daryl shouts at her as he notices her looking their way, his hand coming off the horn as he gestures for her to hurry up. She is almost tempted to hold her middle finger as she makes her way to the van, instead she settles for gently pushing his chest as she passes him, turning around so she was walking backwards towards the passenger seat.

"You trying to bring all the walkers down on us or did you just want to annoy me personally?" Beth snaps as she opens the door and climbs in beside Glenn, her hand ready to close the door behind her when Daryl pushes it away and climbs in beside her. She had hoped that he would get in the back like T had done and Rick could sit in the front with her but it seems that luck is not on her side today.

"I smell or something girl?" Daryl asks when Beth moves slightly closer to Glenn. Her cheeks are already heating up from being next to him, she doesn't need to end up looking like a tomato by the end of the journey. "Or are you and Chinaman bumping uglies?"

"I'm Korean you dick." Glenn says as he glares at Daryl. "And no we are not so you don't need to be jealous." Beth's eyes go wide as she pinches Glenn's side. She highly doubts that Daryl would be jealous of that, that he would care who Beth was having sex with because he doesn't even know her and judging by today he has no real interest in getting to know her. She was just someone who had volunteered to help, nothing more and nothing less.

Though Glenn seems to have touched a nerve as Daryl practically leans over Beth, ears slightly red as he glares at Glenn. "What you say to me?"

"Stop it the both of you, and get back in your seat." Beth snaps at them both as she pushes Daryl gently back into his seat, ignoring the way he flinches when her hands make contact with the bare, warm skin of his arms. He leans against the window away from her, almost folding into himself like he's scared she'll touch him again. It makes her feel as though she has done something wrong as she turns to look at Glenn, he gives her the simple answer of shrugging his shoulders.

  
...  


The ride to Atlanta felt far longer than yesterday.

And Beth blames Glenn for that. Whatever he was up to, driving slow down the streets with his incessant questions or swerving 'because he could' meant that most of the drive Beth had ended up sliding closer and closer to Daryl. She had tried her best to move away after he flinched but it was almost impossible, it didn't make sense and she didn't want to make Daryl anymore uncomfortable than he already was but whatever Glenn was up to she was going to kill him.

It was a shame really because they got along so well and he had been so kind up to now... well up until the swerving and evil smile he had given her. It had solidified his fate in her eyes. It was the reason why when he pulled up beside the railroad tracks and turned off the engine she started hitting his arm.

"Woman stop!" Glenn cries as Beth carries on hitting his arm, he leans in closer to her so he can whisper in her ear. "I thought I was helping you out with _him._ " Beth lets out a noise between a cry and something else as she pushes him away and points a finger in his direction.

"No. no and no. Nothing to help with, keep your mouth shut or I'll feed you to a walker."

"On the way back Daryl and Beth can sit in the back." Rick mutters from the back as he stands up, Glenn is too busy staring at Beth and her big eyes to really pay attention but Beth is listening. "And Glenn is not driving, I refuse to believe in stereotypes Glenn but that was appalling." Glenn finally seems to be paying attention as he lets out a little laugh and Beth rolls her eyes. He can drive, he was just being a dick.

"How about I drive back to camp and have the whole front to myself?" Beth says as she looks away from Glenn but she can see a smile forming on his face again.

"That's not fair, Daryl should definitely sit up front with you." Glenn says as he slaps her shoulder and opens the door, climbing out of the van but stopping just before he shuts the door. "I'll happily sit in the back with Merle just for that to happen." Beth flips him off as she unbuckles her seat belt and follows out after him.

"He’d better be okay. It’s my only word on the matter." Daryl announces to the group as Glenn opens the back door for Rick and T to climb out of. The tips of his ears are still red and its hard to tell if its from embarrassment or anger as he glares at Glenn.

"I told you the geeks can’t get at him. The only thing that’s gonna get through that door is us." T says again for what feels like the fifth time in five minutes, which it kind of is. He had been assuring Daryl that Merle was safe from the moment Glenn started driving, though it might have been hard for Daryl to hear when Glenn was sat giggling to himself as Beth was practically thrown onto Daryl.

"We walk from here." Glenn tells them, his face serious as he begins to lead the way. Beth follows behind him, her knife in her hand and her other hand on her gun. She's rather not use it if she can help it, they didn't need a bunch of walkers on them. "Merle Dixon here we come." Glenn whispers as he leads them through an opening in the fence, waiting for everyone to climb through before he shuts it and leads the way.

Beth wasn't sure what she had been expecting. T had told them the walkers had gotten through the second set of doors, and it seemed true by the glass, clothes and jewellery littered all over the floor but there was only one walker when they entered the department store. It growled when it saw them and Beth kept waiting for another one to jump out as she moved to check behind the desk only to find nothing.

"Damn, you are one ugly skank." Daryl says as he lifts his crossbow up, his biceps flexing. 

"Could you have a little respect." Beth snaps as he shoots his crossbow. She watches the walker go down, finally put to rest with an arrow sticking out of its forehead. It annoys her how he makes jokes about them like they are nothing - were nothing. A sigh leaves her mouth as she moves to pull out the arrow, holding out her hand and resting it on her open palm as he moves forward to snatch it from her with a glare.

"Don't touch my stuff." He all but growls at her as he follows T towards the stairs. One moment he was unsure of her and the next he's looking at her like she is a piece of dirt on the bottom of his shoes.

It doesn't matter. They need to focus on getting to Merle now and then finding those guns before she goes into anything else. Beth follows behind everyone up the stairs, relieved to see that the chain is still holding the door closed. It rattles as Rick moves to cut it, the door swinging slightly and then flying open when Daryl kicks it open, his crossbow held high.

"Merle! Merle!" The rest of them follow him out onto the roof. Beth waits for the familiar drawl and maybe a joke but she hears nothing, she sees nothing but the five of them on the roof. But then Daryl is shouting no over and over again.

It doesn't take her long to figure out why. The pipe they had handcuffed Merle to is empty of Merle. The handcuffs swinging in the slight breeze, blood dripping from them and on the floor underneath them is a bloody hacksaw, bits of flesh stuck in it's teeth but thats not what makes her want to throw up, not what has her bending over and gagging. No, it's the bloody hand, one with a puddle of blood around it, just laid on the floor.

Merle Dixon had sawed off his own hand and suddenly disappeared into thin air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what did you guys think?  
> I don't think it's one of my best chapters, I'm not too happy with it but I didn't want to keep changing it because I felt like I might be making it worse.  
> Beth and Daryl were a thing were I kind of wanted them to be attracted to each other - but also kind of be annoyed by each other because they don't understand fully what they are feeling. So they will bicker a bit because I love that but it will evolve as they do because Daryl is still a bit of a jerk but he will soon be the Daryl we all know and love.
> 
> Anyway please comment and like because it means so much. Helps me through these shit times. But don't feel forced in the slightest.
> 
> Sorry for the shitty chapter.


	4. Vatos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry for the wait. I honestly wanted to post this on Friday but things have been a bit crazy and then today (Sunday) when I planned on writing the whole day, I had to go and see my boyfriends parents who live nearly an hour away so I didn't get to do that unfortunately. 
> 
> So instead because I wanted it posted. I've stayed up a bit late, which is not a problem, and gotten my editing done. I like this chapter more than the last one but I am a bit tired so it might not be perfect so I'm sorry.
> 
> I also just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been commenting, you guys are amazing and to know I have support with this story and people are enjoying it - well it just means everything so thank you so much.
> 
> Please enjoy this chapter - it's alright.
> 
> I don't own The Walking Dead.

Beth had seen blood and gruesome things before. Her father was a vet and a farmer, after all, and there had been times when the animals had been brought to the Greene Farm for emergency surgeries - which meant Beth, Maggie and Shawn were sometimes expected to assist him. It meant she had seen some things that most people hadn't - not that it was nice to see, it was just how she was raised. Yet it seemed nothing she had ever seen would compare to this.

Because what person would expect to see a bloody hand left on a roof with a bloody hacksaw beside it? The answer was no one. This wasn't something you ever expected to see, it wasn't something most normal people would ever want to see but it was what Beth was staring at right now. Her stomach was turning, her mouth sweating and her skin burning even in the wind - sure signs that she was about to vomit. 

Beth pushed the burning bile down her throat as she heard the crossbow clicking, Daryl swinging the heavy thing around to point at T-Dog. Her own hand reached for her gun, drawing it out and pointing it at Daryl the same time Rick did. Glenn stands shocked, the only one not pulling out his weapon as he waits for something to happen, for the words to come out of his throat - Beth is waiting for the same thing.

See she gets why Daryl is upset, why he is pointing his weapon but she knows this is all an accident. Things had been hectic and T-Dog didn't mean to drop the key - Beth refused to think he was as cruel of a person to leave someone cuffed to a roof.

Daryl's eyes are on Beth, sharp and angry. Her gun lowers of her own accord but Rick stays put, her throat constricts tightly as she watches the two men in their standoff, T-Dog not even saying anything as he raises his arms and lowers his head like he has resigned himself to this.

"I won’t hesitate. I don’t care if every walker in the city hears it." Rick says as he cocks his gun and waits for Daryl to make a move. A cry escapes the rugged mans throat as he turns away and lowers his crossbow, a sigh leaving T-Dogs mouth as he crouches to the ground shakily. Rick lowers his gun, uncocking it and placing it back in his holster as he stares at Daryl.

"You got a do-rag or something?" The raspy voice of Daryl asks as he turns to face T-Dog, who nods and pulls one out from his back pocket and hands it over to Daryl with a shaky hand. Beth gags as Daryl moves towards his brothers hand, was he going to wrap it up and take it with them? 

"I guess the saw blade was too dull for the handcuffs." Because that's what they are focusing on in this situation. Not the fact that Merle might be running around the city with one hand, bleeding everywhere. No, obviously the problem was the blade was too dull and the fact that Daryl has no problem picking up the bloody hand by it's finger to examine the cut. Beth must learn that for the next time someone hacks off their own hand. "Ain’t that a bitch."

Daryl wraps the hand carefully, almost as though it something rather precious, gently folding the fabric until no one would know their was a hand in there. Beth is not sure why he is wrapping it or putting it in Glenn's backpack despite the disgusted look on the Korean boys face - mainly because well Beth might not be a doctor, she is pretty sure that they will not be able to reattach that hand in any way, shape or form. So why the fuck are they keeping it?

"He must have used a tourniquet—maybe his belt. Be much more blood if he didn’t." Beth is more interested in when Daryl became a doctor, how he even knew that information but she doesn't ask as she follows behind him. There is a trail of blood on the floor and Daryl is following it keenly.

"That's great - super fantastic." Beth mumbles under her breath as Glenn nods beside her, seeming to agree with the sarcasm in her tone. She can't help but feel bad for her friend, his face is pale and his hand is practically holding onto her arm as they follow behind Daryl and Rick to another door of the building, they leave T-Dog behind to collect Dales tools.

  
The stairwell is almost pitch black when they enter it, despite the light from the door flooding through. Her gun is now put away and instead her knife is in her, just in case a walker is lurking on the stairs and attacks.

"Merle? You in here?" Daryl shouts through the silence, his voice almost echoing around them as he leans over the railing to try and look down the stairs, Beth moves with his, the back of her hand reaching out to hit his shoulder as he turns to glare at her. Beth doesn't miss the flinch on his face as she moves her hand away, a frown on her own face - that's the second time it has happened and it would be the last.

"You need to stop shouting, Merle might be here but who knows what else could be in here too." Beth tries to reason with him. Going around and shouting was only to get them all in a load of shit if they run into a group of walkers. That didn't seem to bother Daryl, his attention and focus was on finding his brother no matter what happened, if that meant throwing the group to the walkers...well Beth was scared he would do it.

Daryl doesn't respond to her but she does notice he moves even softer than before, feet just brushing against the floor as the five of them head down the stairs, and into a hallway.

The growling of a walker can be heard around corner as they slowly make their way towards it, eyes scanning everywhere to make sure there was only one. It takes Daryl all of two seconds to put the thing down, Beth stepping away before she can pull the arrow out for him like she did before. Her eyes move elsewhere, mainly to the two dead walkers laid on the floor, their heads smashed in and a crescent wrench on the floor beside them. 

"Had enough in him to take out these two sumbitches one handed." Daryl says proudly, sounding every bit the younger brother he is. Beth gets it, she'd talk about Maggie and Shawn the same but she didn't think she would be proud of her siblings if they were like Merle. Beth moves with a sigh, pushing those thoughts away as she hands the wrench to T-Dog and tries to fight the urge to stare at Daryl's biceps as he reaches down to pull on his crossbow string (man may be annoying but his arms are beautiful). "Toughest asshole I ever met, my brother. Feed him a hammer, he’d shit out nails."

Disgusting. Honestly no need for that sort of talk. She doesn't want to know about what Merle shits out.

"Any man can pass out from blood loss, no matter how tough he is." Rick says as Daryl lets out a grunt that has Beth blushing and Glenn nudging her shoulder with wiggling eyebrows. He was simply lifting his crossbow up, nothing sexual, but Beth is clearly a dirty minded girl it seems.

  
Beth refuses to look at Glenn again as they follow the bloody trail on the floor, her cheeks are burning bright red and she doesn't even understand why. Somehow though her friend does.

It's not like she likes Daryl. She barely knows the guy and whenever he opens his mouth she has an intense need to slap it shut, but then when he doesn't talk and his eyes are on her - her whole body feels like its burning. For all she knew this could just be some lust that has attached itself onto Daryl because he's the first man she's come across that she actually finds attractive - in a way she kind of wishes she was a bit braver like the girls in her school who would walk up to a boy and basically ask for sex in a round about way. Beth seriously doubted that Daryl would be fine just doing the dirty with her despite the fact that they had yet to have a real conversation without bickering.

"Merle!" Daryl shouts and it does nothing to help the situation Beth finds herself in. She does not like Daryl Dixon - it's just she's attracted to him, that is all, it will fade like the wind soon. 

"Remember what Beth said? We might not be alone here." Rick snaps at Daryl as they continue down the hall. Beth looks away to Glenn who is smirking, she can feel Daryl's eyes on her, piercing into her very being before they are gone and Beth feels like she can breath again. Glenn will never be able to breath again if he keeps looking at her like that or trying to nudge her to Daryl.

"Screw that. He could be bleeding out. You said so yourself."

They carry on walking until they reach the kitchen area, several sterno can lit around them - it gives Beth a sense of hope as she knows they will only burn for a couple of hours before they run out, maybe Merle is around here somewhere just waiting for them to find him but then she sees the blood splattered everywhere and that hope burns away in the flames around her.

"What is that burned stuff?" Glenn asks he moves closer to Rick who is holding a flat iron up with crusted remains on it. Beth moves closer and gently touches the iron, avoiding the other stuff. Its cold now, but that doesn't say much.

"Skin. He cauterized the stump." Beth answers as she cringes. She remembered years ago when she was really little, maybe five, her family's friend and farmhand, Otis, got injured. They weren't a rich family and they didn't have the money for the hospital so they came to the Greene's, well to Hershel who had looked at the wound and deemed that it might need to be cauterized to stop the bleeding. Beth would never forget the smell of burning skin for as long as she lived but Otis often proudly showed off his scar with a big grin.

"Told you he was tough. Nobody can kill Merle but Merle." Daryl says proudly like his brother cutting off his own hand and cauterizing it is something that happens often. Or something to be proud of.

"Don’t take that on faith. He’s lost a lot of blood." She's not trying to be rude, not at all, she just wants him to be cautious of what they might find. Yet Daryl seems to take it as something else entirely as he turns around to glare at her coldly, the sort of glare that makes her shiver where she stands. Honestly she has no idea what his problem with her is, one moment he is sending glances her way and the next he is glaring at her as though he has a massive problem with her.

"Yeah? Didn’t stop him from busting out of this death trap." Daryl snaps as he looks away from them to move towards the broken window tinged with blood on the shattered glass.

"He left the building? Why the Hell would he do that?" Glenn asks in shock as he follows Daryl towards the window, Beth and Rick following behind him while T-Dog stays behind.

"Why wouldn’t he? He’s out there alone as far as he knows, doing what he’s got to do." Daryl mumbles, it's clear he is blaming them for this. Beth tenses her jaw as she leans out of the window, careful to not touch any of the leftover glass in the frame. There is a narrow fire escape on the side on the building, black and slightly rusty, and at the bottom of it lays a bloody towel. "Surviving."

"That's not surviving, wandering out in the streets and most likely passing out. That's just plain fucking stupid. What do you think his odds are?" Beth knows she shouldn't be so temperamental with a man who's brother was running around the streets while the dead walked around, it's rude and it's not how her daddy raised her. But Daryl has been nothing be rude to her.

There comes a point in everybody's life when you have to stop pretending to be nice to some people, when you have to stop letting them treat you like shit. Beth thought this would be a lot later in her life when she was much older, had nothing better to do and no one would think twice about an older woman being stern with them. It seemed the new world though had given her Daryl and shortened her temper - he could glare at her all he wanted, Beth did not give a fuck about his opinion anymore.

"No worse than having a gun pointed at his head, being handcuffed and left to rot by you sorry pricks." Daryl snaps loudly at them, his hand waving between her and Rick as he glares at them with those sharp eyes. "Neither of you could kill him. Ain’t so worried about some dumb dead bastard." Then he was stupider than his brother.

"What about a thousand dumb dead bastards? Is that a different story?" Beth spits back as she glares up at him. They are almost standing toe to toe now, their faces red with anger - that still doesn't stop her from letting her eyes wander down his face.

"Why don’t you take a tally? Do what you want. I’m gonna go get him because you won't." Daryl says to her, his voice low and even more raspy than before as he moves around her and heads towards the window only to be stopped by Rick. Beth watches as he flinches away from the sheriff's outstretched hand, his feet stumbling backwards slightly as he glares. "Get your hands off me! You can’t stop me."

"Wouldn't want to." Beth says overly sweet, like the tea her mother made during the summer. Daryl turns to look at her as she smiles at him and tilts her head. It's so fake and overly enthusiastic that it's annoying but Daryl is no longer climbing through the window and instead is focused on her. She doesn't want him to go out there, he pisses her off sure but that doesn't mean she wants to send him to his death. 

"Beth. Behave." Rick hisses at her, sounding like her father when she would torment Maggie and Shawn. Beth rolls her eyes and moves to stand beside Glenn who has been far too quiet throughout the situation, she can see that it is because he looks far too amused by everything. "Listen Daryl, I don't blame you for wanting to go out there. He’s family, I get that. Beth and I went through Hell to find mine. I know exactly how you feel. He can’t get far with that injury. We could help you check a few blocks around but only if we keep a level head." Rick speaks softly. Daryl turns his eyes away from Beth and to Rick, his face softening slightly as an unsure emotion flickers through his eyes.

"I could do that."

"Only if we get those guns first. I’m not strolling the streets of Atlanta with just my good intentions, okay?"

...

The five of them are gathered around a table not too long later, Beth stood between Glenn and Rick, her arms brushing theirs as she leans forward to rest her hands on the table with a frown. Glenn had ran them through the plan, so sure and confident as he pointed stuff out on his hand drawn map with his wide eyes as he explained what they would be doing.

"You’re not doing this alone." Rick says with a shake of his head as he rubs a hand over his face.

"Even I think it’s a bad idea and I don’t even like you much." Daryl adds as Beth scoffs and rolls her eyes. It's uncalled for, his offhanded remarks that he seems to think that no one else will care for but Beth can see that Glenn is confused as to what he has done wrong for Daryl not to like him. Answer is, he has done nothing wrong - Beth doesn't think there is a soul alive who would ever hate Glenn Rhee.

"Yeah well we don't like you that much but here we are helping out your asshole of a brother." Beth interjects before Glenn can open his mouth to defend himself. Daryl looks shocked that she twisted his own words against him, his ears tinging a beautiful red as he turns to look at her but Beth isn't done as she adds. "Fucking dick."

"Why don't you get up and say that to my face blondie?"

"Oh with pleasure - "

"Both of you sit down and just don't speak to each other." Rick snaps at them before Beth can even move around him. He shoots her a quick look to let her know they will be talking about this later and then points to the chair beside her. Daryl has already sat down and is glaring down at the table, Beth rolls her eyes and sits herself down with a sigh. She feels as though she has been scolded by her father, something Rick seems to have taken the role of.

"Ok-ay as entertaining as that flirting was we need to get back to the matter at hand. It’s a good idea, okay, if you just hear me out. If we go out there in a group, we’re slow, drawing attention. If I’m alone, I can move fast. Look." Beth wants to cut Glenn off and tell him that they were not in any way flirting but she knows if she opens her mouth again then she'll be told off once more so she settles for crossing her arms over her chest. Glenn smirks at her as he carries on speaking, drawing on his little map as he does so. "That’s the tank. Five blocks from where we are now. That’s the bag of guns. Here’s the alley I dragged you into when we first met. That’s where Daryl, Beth and I will go." Glenn explains as he uses the office things around him to show the objects.

"Why me? And her?" Daryl asks with a frown as he gestures at Beth, his eyes narrowing as Glenn smirks again. He's playing with fire and she is tempted to smack him but Rick is looking between her and Daryl with a raised eyebrow and an amused smile.

"Your crossbow is quieter than his gun. And Beth has a good shot in case things go sideways - plus wherever I go, she goes - perks of being my new best friend." Glenn says with a grin as he looks at her - she wants to tell him that he can shove that 'best friend' title up his ass since he keeps trying to play matchmaker but she keeps her mouth shut and settles for sending a glare at her 'best friend'. Luckily Glenn seems to understand as he gets back to his plan. "While Daryl and Beth wait here in the alley, I run up the street, grab the bag."

"You got us elsewhere?" Rick asks as he looks down at the map with a frown. 

"You and T-Dog, right. You’ll be in this alley here." Glenn explains as he marks the spot on their little map with a pink eraser. Beth frowns as she sees how far away from them it actually is. Almost to far away that they would be able to do anything if the walkers come after them.

"Two blocks away? Why?" She asks before Rick can. Surely there was closer alleys that they could use or even just a place they could hide.

"I may not be able to come back the same way. Walkers might cut me off. If that happens, I won’t go back to you and Daryl. I’ll go forward instead, all the way around to that alley where you guys are. Whichever direction I go, I got you in both places to cover me. Afterwards, we’ll all meet back here." Glenn explains as he gestures around the map with his finger.

"Hey, kid, what’d you do before all this?" Daryl asks suddenly as he stands up off the chair, eyes on Glenn who frowns. 

"Delivered pizzas, why?" No one answers him but Rick, T-Dog and Daryl are nodding as though it makes sense. Beth shrugs as Glenn looks to her, she has no idea what it has to do with this but whatever, as long as it helps then she supposes it can't be a bad thing. 

....

Beth is happily surprised to find that the ladder they had used before is still standing and fully able to support the weight of three people climbing down it without so much of a squeak. She had honestly thought they would find that the walkers would have torn it down with how hellbent they were at pulling it before, and that the three of them were going to have to find another way down to the alley below them. She is also happy to note that said alley is empty of any walkers, though it soon begins to fill her with dread that something bad is going to come.

The three of them move silently as they can, while walkers may not be in the alley they are on the street ahead of them, hiding behind a large and overflowing dumpster that smells almost as bad as the dead. Beth has her knife in her hand as she ducks behind the dumpster, between Daryl and Glenn who have their own weapons ready.

"You got some balls for a Chinaman." Daryl mutters as Glenn peeks around the side to look at the entrance ahead of them, he turns to glare at Daryl before he thinks better of it and keeps his mouth shut. Beth wishes she could do the same and not buy into Daryl's rudeness but alas she is struggling.

"We've already been through this he's Korean, you dick." Beth snaps, her voice low as she glares at Daryl. She knows she had struggled to place where Glenn had been from when she first met him, difference being she didn't just assume he was from China because he was Asian, she knew more than the small minded person beside her that there was more than just China in Asia.

"Whatever."

Glenn sends her a grateful look before he lets out a breath as he begins to creep away from them, Beth and Daryl both moving to watch him over the dumpster. He's fast and graceful, his trainers barely making any sound as he sneaks past the walkers and down out of their view. Beth feels the nerves begin to rise up her throat, even more so when Daryl reaches out to push her head down, ignoring the grunt she lets out as he raises his finger to his lips.

The retort she had been preparing to say suddenly dies in her throat as she listens to the footsteps coming closer and closer. It doesn't sound a lot like Glenn and Daryl is already standing up with his crossbow raised, leaving her behind the dumpster as he moves towards the alley entrance. Beth isn't one to be left out of the loop which is why she is peeking around the edge at the young boy, maybe a couple of years younger than her, stood with his hands up as he stares at Daryl.

"Whoa, don’t shoot me! What do you want?"

"I’m looking for my brother. He’s hurt real bad. You seen him?" Beth rolls her eyes. Of course Daryl just wanted to ask about his brother, not about what the kid was doing running around when Glenn was putting his life in danger for a bag of guns and Merle.

"Ayudame!" Beth wasn't one to lie, languages had never been her strong suit - having grown up the country around people who are more often than not white people who have lived in the same town for generations, well that meant she never really had to listen to anything other than English. Except when she was at school where she had learned Spanish, easy Spanish that she couldn't really remember yet her brain was telling her that the kid was shouting for help.

"Shut up! You’re gonna bring the geeks down on us. Answer me." Daryl hisses, his crossbow is still pointing at the boy who is shaking, his hands still held up high and his head is looking all over the place as growls are heard. "Come on kid, answer me"

"Ayudame! Ayudame! Ayudame!" Beth doesn't wait any longer as she comes out from behind the dumpster, her gun raised but there is no need as Daryl moves forward fast and light, lifting his crossbow and hitting the kid over the head. The kid falls to the ground with a strangled whine as Daryl reaches down and tries to place his hand over his mouth to shut him up.

"Grab the girl." Beth doesn't even have time to blink as someone grabs her from behind, her gun flying out of her hand and onto the ground. Beth struggles in the strange mans arms as another man runs by her before Daryl can even blink he is on the floor, one of the strange men kicking him in the side and making it impossible for him to get back up and grab his crossbow.

"Get off him."

"Don't fucking touch her." Daryl cries out at the same time. He grunts as the man lands a hard kick into his side. Beth tries to get her own capture off her, the worry and fear running through her head as she remembers all the horror stories she had heard as a young girl about what men would do to girls in alleys, it only makes her struggle against him harder.

"That’s it. That’s the bag, vato. Take it! Take it!" The man holding her shouts as the man kicking Daryl suddenly looks up. Beth lets out a cry as she sees Glenn at the end of the alley, bag of guns in his hand and eyes shocked at what he sees, more shocked at the man suddenly running towards him. Just like before Beth has no time to even defend herself as she is thrown on top of Daryl, his body breaking her fall with a grunt.

Her knees scrape against the ground as she moves around Daryl, grabbing his crossbow and refusing to give under the weight as she watches the men grab a hold of Glenn. She has no idea how accurate a crossbow is but she doesn't have time to think as she raises it and shoots - right into the ass of the man who had been holding her, he screams loud, hand reaching around to grab the arrow. It doesn't matter though because they are still holding onto Glenn, using him as a shield now and a car is approaching them.

"Get off me! Get off me! Daryl! Beth!" Glenn screams loudly as he is pulled inside the car, his hand dropping the bag onto the floor as the car takes off. Her hands drop, the crossbow falling to the ground with a clatter as she struggles to get up, grab the bag, Ricks hat and shut the gate from the oncoming walkers.

"Blondie what did I tell you about touching my things?" Beth turns to glare at Daryl, ready to lecture him as he pulls himself onto his feet, the crossbow resting back on his back. She can't bring herself to though because there's something in the way he's looking at her, concern and maybe a slight bit of pride. It doesn't last long as he turns and begins yelling at the kid on the floor beside him. Rick and T-Dog are running towards them now and all Beth can think is how they failed with this stupid plan.

Beth moves forward to push the guns into Ricks waiting hands as she watches Daryl pick the kid up by his shirt and throw him against the wall, a sigh leaving her mouth as she moves to pick up her fallen gun. "I’m gonna kick your nuts up in your throat!" Daryl growls as he pushes the kid further into a wall, Beth moving to stand beside him, her gun back in its holster and her knife in her hand as she glares at the kid in front of her with a sick smile.

"Then once he's done I'm going to have a little fun of my own." She speaks soft but the threat is there. She hates how she's speaking and acting, shooting a man because he took her friend without a second thought scares her, but she wants to know where Glenn is right now so she can go and get him. He's her friend and he saved her life, she won't let him end up dead.

"Let me go." The kid whimpers, cowering into the wall as T-Dog moves between the three of them, pining the kid to the wall and staring at Beth and Daryl until they slowly back away.

"Chill out."

"T, they took Glenn - his fucking group took Glenn. Just grabbed him, and I want to know where to, if that means I have to threaten the guy then so be it." It almost doesn't sound like her. She's angry and she's worried. Glenn was one of the first people to show her kindness, to not judge her for almost getting him killed, to simply be a friend who she needed and she wasn't going to leave him with some men who had no problem holding a woman and kicking a man without a second thought.

"Beth we'll find Glenn. Get to the lab. Go." Rick tells her as he gently pushes her away from the kid, his hand on the small of her back and a comforting smile on his face. If Rick said they were getting Glenn back then she trusted him.

...

Beth couldn't just sit in the lab and wait for the kid to talk. She had never been the most patient person, not impulsive but not someone who could just sit back and wait for things. That meant that while Rick, T-Dog, Daryl and the kid (who was tied up to a chair) could all sit back and wait for said kid to talk, Beth was stuck pacing back and forth, her nails near her mouth as she fought not to chew on them in anticipation. 

"Those men you were with, we need to know where they went." Rick says softly as he leans on the table beside the kid, almost calm looking and friendly. The good cop who everyone wanted to speak to when they were stuck in a bad situation but Beth knows he is one minute away from cracking.

"I ain’t telling you nothing." Idiot. Four people here and one of him.

"Jesus, man. What the Hell happened back there?" T-Dog asks as he runs his hand over his face. He looks tired and guilty as he avoids Daryl's eyes, probably still feeling bad that Merle is running around somewhere with one hand but Daryl doesn't look annoyed anymore, in fact he looks just as tired and maybe a tad bit annoyed that they have to yet again push back their search for Merle.

"I told you, this little shit and his douche bag friends came out of nowhere and jumped me, grabbed hold of the girl." Beth avoids the eyes that turn to look at her, she knows what they are all thinking.

"Man, you’re the one who jumped me, puto, screaming about trying to find his brother like it’s my damn fault." Beth doesn't even need to look to know that Daryl is heading over to the chair to beat the kid up, she knows Rick will stop him before he can do anything. A part of thinks that maybe a little scaring from Daryl will make the kid talk but the larger part of her screams that that wouldn't be right.

"Hang on - someone grabbed you Beth?" Rick asks as he stares at her, eyes wide and filled with concern. His hand grips the kids shirt tight and the kid looks worried, eyes filling up with tears as he watches the once calm cop turn suddenly. "They didn't touch you did they?"

"No just held me so I couldn't do anything, managed to shoot him in the ass though." Beth says softly as she looks away from Rick who is now easing his grip on the boy. She hears a little grunt like laugh escape from Daryl's lips and fight the urge to look at him in shock.

"They took Glenn. Could have taken Merle too." Daryl says with a shrug of his shoulder. Beth almost lets out a laugh, she doesn't know much about Merle Dixon but something tells her that if anyone was to try and take him then he would let the whole city, dead or alive, know. He just didn't seem like the type to just allow himself to be kidnapped without giving his kidnappers a fight.

"Merle? What kind of hick name is that? I wouldn’t name my dog Merle." The kid says with a laugh, a small little shriek leaving his mouth soon after as Daryl is charging towards him once again, his fist raised only to be stopped once again by Rick pulling him away and placing him next to Beth.

"Damn it, Daryl. Back off." Rick whispers as he pushes him away. They should have known that Daryl wouldn't simply sit down and remain quiet while Rick speaks to the boy, as not two seconds later he is digging through the backpack Glenn left behind, pulling out the misshaped do-rag and standing up.

"Want to see what happened to the last guy that pissed me off?" Daryl whispers as he moves closer to the kid, unwrapping the hand and throwing it in the kids lap. Beth watches in slight amusement as the kid screams and tries to jump away, only falling backwards in his chair and the hand landing right next to his face. Daryl places his foot on the chair and slowly brings it up, holding onto the kid by his neck. He could let go of the chair but he rests it on the floor. "Start with the feet this time."

"Or his dick?" Beth asks with a raised eyebrow as she smiles at the kid, his wide eyes on her as he tries to move his hands to cover his assets.

"Jesus Christ, Beth." Rick says with a glare, she shrugs her shoulders as she glares at the kid. She wants Glenn back, she's known him for a day but it honestly feels like longer and she's scared for him. He's so cheerful and light - she just wants her friend back. Look how dark she is without him, threatening children not that much younger than her and shooting full grown men with crossbows.

"The men you were with took our friend. All we want to do is talk to them, see if we can work something out." 

...

Beth stares through the ruined window of the abandoned brick building, the shotgun heavy in her arms though she barely pays attention to it as her eyes are trained on the large wooden doors of the similar building across the alley from them. The place the kid had said Glenn was most likely been kept after Daryl dragged the bloody hand across his face like the lunatic he is. It was the reason the kid was sat on the floor shaking, unable to focus on Daryl who was stood above him.

"You sure you’re up for this?" Rick asks T-Dog as he hands him the ammo bag with a nervous look, T nods his head and turns away from them without another word, walking away and leaving the three with the kid. Rick had suggested that Beth join T-Dog but she couldn't do that when Glenn could possibly be in that building.

"One wrong move, you get an arrow in the ass. Just so you know." Daryl whispers the kid as he pulls him off the ground, one hand gripping the tie holding the kids wrists together and the other holding his own shotgun. "Though it won't be from a pretty blond." Daryl adds in what he clearly thinks is low enough for Beth not to hear, but she does and her cheeks are burning.

"G’s gonna take that arrow out of my ass and shove it up yours. Just so you know." The kids snaps as he struggles to get out of Daryl's grasp. Daryl smirks as he pushes the kid forward, almost laughing when he falls over his feet.

"Kinky." Beth whispers under her breath, cheeks turning pink as Daryl turns his head around to look at her. She had forgot that she wasn't with the sort of friends she had had before where jokes about 'certain things' were common and quick one worded replies were funny. "G?" Beth asks to get the attention of Daryl off her.

"Guillermo. He the man here."

"Okay then." Rick says, he cracks his head to the side and cocks his gun before turning to Beth and Daryl. "Let’s go see Guillermo."

Beth can't help but think about her how life would have been if she had just stayed at the farm the morning the whole world died. Would she have been safer? Living a life unaffected by the walkers? Or would she be running for her life? It was hard to imagine anything else at this point, hard to imagine that her parents and siblings were safe and sound on their farm when everyone else was trying not to get themselves killed.

A constant of state peril that only seemed to get worse and worse the more time went on. Yet it had brought her Rick and Glenn, two people she relied on far too much when she had only known them for a short period of time. They had both saved her in more ways than one, given her trust and respect that she didn't even know she needed until it was given to her. And she in return had given it back.

Which was why she was here with two grown men, a child, holding a gun that she didn't really know how to use staring at the doors as they opened and a Latino man stepped outside with an easy grin and men behind him holding their own weapons, slightly hidden by the shadows.

"You okay, little man?" Guillermo asks, or who she is assuming is Guillermo, his eyes are on the kid in Daryl's hand. Beth almost feels annoyed for the boy, she knows how it feels to be put down on, only it doesn't seem like the boy is annoyed at the nickname. Maybe because it's said with care and worry, not condescending like Beth has heard 'little girl' directed towards her.

"They’re gonna cut off my feet or my dick, Carnal." The kid cries - more like whines - his eyes filling up with tears as he shifts on his feet. Beth can't help but roll her eyes, they weren't that savage that they would actually go through with that...well she wouldn't, Daryl might but she wasn't going to speak for him.

"Cops do that?" Guillermo asks, he crosses his arms over his chest. Rick looks down to the uniform he is wearing as he shifts.

"Not him. This redneck and his puta here. He cut off some dude’s hand, man. He showed it to me." The kid screams loudly, his eyes are wide and he seems scared. Daryl leans forward to whisper something in his ear that has the kid crying even more. Daryl looks quite pleased with himself as he stares at Guillermo with those sharp eyes.

"Hey, that’s that puta right there, homes. She shot me in the ass with an arrow. What’s up, little girl, huh?" The guy Beth shot asks as he steps out from the shadows, a gun in his hand as he raises it to point at her. Had this been the first time someone had pointed a gun at her then she might have been a tiny bit more scared but right now she was grateful that Andrea had done it before - well that Beth had put herself in that situation.

"Chill, ese, Chill. Chill." Guillermo mutters as he pushes his hand against the gun, his man lowering it instantly. The Latin man turns to look at Rick with an eyebrow raised. "This true? They wants Miguelito’s feet? His dick? That’s pretty sick, man." Beth has to admit that, yes, it is sick but no more sick than the man who had pointed his gun at a 'little girl'.

"We were hoping more for a calm discussion." Rick says calmly as he sends a quick glare to Beth and Daryl.

"That hillbilly and his puta jumps Felipe’s little cousin, beats on him, threatens to cut off his feet, Felipe gets an arrow in the ass and you want a calm discussion? You fascinate me." So fucking rude. They take Glenn and act like they aren't in the wrong, it wasn't like they were out looking to kidnap Miguel, it just happened. And well...Beth had to do something to try and stop them.

"Heat of the moment. Mistakes were made on both sides."

"Who’s that dude and girl to you anyway? You don’t look related." Guillermo says as he looks over the three of them. No they don't look related, only similarity been that they all had different variations of blue eyes and that was it. Though to be fair Maggie and Shawn both looked so different from their shared sister.

"They are a part of our group. I’m sure you have a few like him though." Rick says with a frown as he gestures to Daryl, who is glaring at everyone, muscles flexing and mouth tense. He looks like one of those bouncers that used to stand outside the clubs, ready to kick away anyone who would dare to test him.

"You got my brother in there?" Daryl asks suddenly as he tries to look over the heads and inside, his voice loud enough that Merle would probably be able to hear him if he was inside.

"Sorry, we’re fresh out of white boys. But I’ve got an Asian. You interested?"

"Yes now give him back." Beth snaps as she takes a step forward, she can see Rick shooting her a look of concern and Daryl is staring at her. She doesn't care, they've been stood here making semi-polite chit chat well Glenn is on the inside - possibly been hurt or anything. Beth refuses to just stand back anymore.

"Why he your boyfriend, blondie? Thought you were with the redneck or are you the sort of puta who likes to have two men?" Guillermo taunts her as he looks between Beth and Daryl. Beth has had enough of the nicknames - 'little girl' and 'puta' (she knows what it means). Had enough of everything.

"I don't really think that's any of your business. But I am the sort of bitch who will get my redneck to shoot Miguelito in the ass if you don't give us 'The Asian.'" Beth growls out, Guillermo is staring at her but his eyes quickly look to Daryl who keeps weapon raised with a frown. "After all we have one of yours and you have one of ours, it's a fair trade."

"Don’t sound even to me." Fucking dick. The kid begins whining again as he looks like he might just break down and cry at the thought of being stuck with them. "My people got attacked. Where’s the compensation for their pain and suffering? More to the point, where’s my bag of guns?" Guillermo says as he looks over them as if expecting to see one of them carrying the guns with them.

That's it? That's why he has Glenn, because he wants the bag of guns. He's stooping so low over a few weapons when his men are already holding some. If this was happening so early on then what was going to happen when food, water and weapons became even more scarce. Were they all going to be killing each other over a can of beans in the next couple of years?

"Guns?" Rick asks playing dumb.

"The bag Miguel saw in the street. The bag Felipe and Jorge were going back to get. That bag of guns."

"You’re mistaken. About it being yours. It’s my bag of guns." Rick says lowly, Guillermo glares at him, his hand twitching before he lets out a sigh and places an eays smile on his face. No matter how much he smiles it is easy to see how annoyed he is.

"The bag was in the street. Anybody could come around and say it was theirs. I’m supposed to take your word? What’s to stop my people from unloading on you right here and now and I take what’s mine?" Guillermo says, his eyes move to Beth as she takes a step back. Would she be killed with Rick and Daryl or would they take her? Thats what usually seemed to happen to women, kidnapped and used against their will.

"You could do that." Rick says as he looks over to where T-Dog is aiming at Guillermo. All is would take is one bullet and Guillermo would be dead and he seems to know that as he stares at the gun aiming for him. "Or not."

Guillermo looks up above them at the roof of the building as he smirks. "Oye." Beth follows his gaze, her mouth falling open as two men lead a man, Glenn, to the edge of the roof, a bag over his head. One of the other man removes the bag and Glenn looks down at them shaking but unable to say anything as his mouth is duct tapped. "I see two options. You come back with Miguel and my bag of guns, everybody walks. Or you come back locked and loaded, we’ll see which side spills more blood."

Guillermo and his men turn back and head into the building, closing the large doors behind them and leaving Beth, Rick, Daryl and Miguel staring at them.

...

Beth feels exhausted as she curls up in one of the chairs, her eyes on the guns Rick has placed all over the map Glenn had left before. T-Dog is sat beside her, leaning on his hand as he rubs his forehead with his other hand and Daryl is pacing around Miguel who is backed to being tied in a chair. They were stuck it seemed, a catch 22 situation - get Glenn and give up their only source of defence or leave Glenn (Beth wouldn't stand for that) and be able to defend their camp from anything.

"Them guns are worth more than gold. Except gold won’t protect your family or put food on the table. You willing to give that up for that kid?" Daryl asks as he moves closer to stare down at the guns, picking up a box of ammo before slamming it down and moving back to Miguel with a frown.

"Yes we are, because it's Glenn." Beth says softly. For her it's not up for debate, guns < Glenn, they can find more weapons, they can't find another Glenn. But she can see the frown on Ricks face, knows how he is thinking of his family and she knows that if he were to choose guns then she can't do it alone. A single person turning up with nothing they asked for and just expecting them to hand over Glenn is just stupid.

"Awful protective of a kid you've known one day."  
.  
"It's something called loyalty, Glenn risked his neck for me and Rick, I do the same." Beth explains tiredly. She doesn't want to fight anymore, she just wants this over and done with before something worse happens.

"If I knew we’d get Glenn back, I might agree. But you think that vato across the way is just gonna hand him over?" T-Dog asks, he throws his arm out and looks down to the kid.

"You calling G a liar?" Miguel asks as he glares up at T-Dog.

"Are you a part of this?" Whatever Miguel had been about to say stopped the moment Daryl slapped him across the mouth as he spoke. Sharp blue eyes sparkling with anger as he looks down at the kid. "You want to hold onto your teeth?"

"Question is do you trust that man’s word?" T-Dog asks them. Beth doesn't know if she can trust Guillermo but that shouldn't even matter when someone they know and care abouts life is on the line. This shouldn't be up for debate and if they wanted to sit around and discuss it then she would go get him back herself. Even if she offered a trade, her life for his because that seemed to be the only solution she had at the minute.

"No, question is what are you willing to bet on it? Could be more than them guns. Could be your life. Glenn worth that to you?" Daryl asks Rick, he doesn't turn to look at her because it's pretty clear where she stands on the matter.

"What life I have I owe to him. We were nobody to Glenn, just some idiots stuck in a tank. He could have walked away, but he didn’t. Neither will I." Rick explains better than Beth ever could. She just can't think straight when she speaks to Daryl, anger is the only way she can speak to him when he is busy glaring at her like a piece of dirt on his boots.

"I don't appreciate being called an idiot, Rick, after all the tank was your idea." Beth says as Rick lets out a small laugh and nods his head.

"So you’re gonna hand the guns over?" Daryl asks.  
"I didn’t say that. There’s nothing keeping you three here. You should get out, head back to camp." Rick says as Beth moves forward, ready to tear Rick a new one. "Might have to drag her along, carry her over your shoulder but she is not staying here."

"That's not your decision to make, Rick." Beth almost shouts as T-Dog tries to calm her down but she can't hear him as she glares at Rick. She would not allow anyone to just drag her away from here because of a risk and she most certainly would not be carried over Daryl's shoulder like some sort of - well she doesn't know because the thought makes her blush a little.

"I am not getting you killed, Beth."

"And tell your family what?" T-Dog cuts between the little argument between Beth and Rick. He picks up a gun as Rick looks to Daryl, who rolls his eyes but nods his head, reaching down for his own gun before Rick finally turns to look at Beth. She doesn't break eye contact as she reaches down for her own gun.

...

Beth follows behind Daryl are they walk back to the building housing the Vatos, her eyes focused on the vest in front of her. She had never paid much attention to Daryl Dixon's attire, other than the ripped off sleeves and that was mainly because of his arms, but she was now. Everything he owned seemed well worn and faded, everything but the vest on his back.

It wasn't in the best condition, no, but it was in a hell of a lot better condition than his other clothes. Leather still stitched together tightly and still black, the white wings stitched on the back were starting to fade but showed no sign of coming off any time soon. And that was all she could focus on, like he was the Angel of Death leading her towards more chaos and horror.

The doors open before them, making her look away from Daryl's back as she follows the men inside. The Vatos are well armed with handguns and baseball bats, standing around Guillermo and fully ready to kick their asses. There are so many of them that Beth knows if this goes sideways then none of her group are walking away.

"I see my guns but they’re not all in the bag." Guillermo says with a sigh, his men raising their weapons slightly as Rick's group do the same.

"That’s because they’re not yours. I thought I mentioned that." 

"Let’s just shoot these fools right now, ese. All right? Unload on their asses, ese." A man says from beside Guillermo, almost eager to shoot them as he bounces on his feet. Beth's eyes go wide as Daryl steps carefully in front of her, softly and slowly as though he is just moving from foot to foot as to not draw attention to himself but Beth knows what he is doing.

"Things go wrong girl, you turn and run tail back to the van and you don't look back no matter what." Daryl whispers low enough for her to hear as Guillermo speaks. She reaches forward to touch his arm slightly as she nods her head, letting him know she heard him. He relaxes slightly and takes a careful step backward, blocking her from view even more.

"No, I’m pretty clear." Beth takes a careful peek around Daryl see Rick release Miguel from the ties on his wrist and shove him forward, the kid stumbling and almost landing on his knees. "You have your man. I want mine." Rick says loudly.

"I’m gonna chop up your boy. I’m gonna feed him to my dogs. They’re the evilest, nastiest man-eating bitches you ever saw. I picked them up from Satan at a yard sale. I told you how it has to be. Are you woefully deaf?" Guillermo threatens, Beth can't help herself as she moves forward slightly only for Daryl to push her back behind him, his arm staying in place to keep her there.

"No, my hearing’s fine. You said come locked and loaded." Rick says as he cocks his weapon, the three behind him doing the same as the vatos copy them to, only Rick is now raising his gun to Guillermo's head. "Okay then, we’re here."

"Felipe! Felipe!" Everyone seems to stop what they are doing, Beth standing in her place before she can listen to Daryl and sneak out of the building. An elderly woman walks towards them, not batting an eye at the guns all pointed at each other.

"Abuela, go back with the others - now." The man who was so eager to shoot them whispers as he tries to pull the old lady out of the way but she stays where she is.

"Get that old lady out of the line of fire!" Daryl shouts, Beth can practically feel the rumble of his words where she is. Daryl has one hand on his gun aiming forward and another wrapped around his back to still keep her out of the way, almost pressing her to his back.

"Abuela, listen to your mijo, okay? This is not the place for you right now." Guillermo tries to stop the old lady but she just keeps batting those beautiful brown eyes at him, a small smile making its way onto her face.

"Mr. Gilbert is having trouble breathing. He needs his asthma stuff. Carlito didn’t find it. He needs his medicine." Her accent is much stronger than the younger boys as she reaches out to hold Guillermo's hand, the smile now gone from her face.

"Felipe, go take care of it, okay? And take your grandmother with you." Guillermo whispers to the eager guy, his eyes still on Rick. Felipe nods his head and begins to pull his grandmother away, muttering to her in Spanish.

"Who are those men? And pretty lady?" The old woman asks as she moves towards Daryl, his arm relaxing slightly but there is a frown on his face as she pulls Beth out from behind Daryl. There are guns still pointed but Beth recons she will be safer around this older woman than stuck behind Daryl or trying to run away. Felipe mutters to his grandmother in Spanish again, looking around nervously as his grandmother takes a step closer to Rick, Beth pretty closer behind her. "Don’t you take him."

"Ma’am?" Rick asks, confused as he looks to Beth. The old lady is staring at his uniform as Rick lets out a sigh of understanding. "Ma’am, I’m not here to arrest your grandson."

"Then what do you want him for?"

"He’s helping us find a missing person. A young man named Glenn." She feels bad for taking advantage of the old lady but when the woman smiles up at her with a grin, Beth can't help but smile back politely.

"The Asian boy? He’s with Mr. Gilbert. Come. Come, I show you. He needs his medicine." The elderly woman holds her hand out to Beth, who stares at it. The woman grabs her hand and starts pulling them along with everyone else following. Her hand is warm and withered in Beth's, it almost felt like she was holding her dead grandmothers hand again.

Guillermo doesn't say anything else, just gestures with his hand for them to pass. Beth knows the boys are following behind her, can feel them sticking close to her as they go further and further into the building, walking up an outside flight of stairs, through a courtyard and into what looks like a nursing home.

It's almost silent in the room, people sat on beds, most of them old, though there are a few coughs and a few people whispering. It was strange to see this many people together in one room.

"Abuela, por favor, take me to him." Felipe says to his grandmother as she lets go of Beth's hand, taking her grandson away. Beth follows after her, surprised to find herself in a cafeteria, several people sat at tables though there is a group huddled around one table. "All right. All right. Nice and easy. Just breathe."

Beth feels her eyes tear up as she watches Felipe speak to a man in a wheelchair, inhaler already in the mans mouth. It hisses but Beth isn't bothered about that anymore - well she is because she doesn't want the man to suffer - but Glenn is with them. Looking upset but he's there.

"Thank god you're ok." Beth says a bit too loudly as people turn to look at her but she's already running at Glenn as he turns to look at his group. Her arms wrap tightly around his throat and her feet almost come off the ground, his arms are around her waist just as tight. "I was so worried." Beth mumbles as she pulls away, taking his face in her hands as she looks over him for an injuries.

"I'm all good - you alright?" Glenn asks her back as she finally steps away as Rick pats Glenn's back, T-Dog gives him a one armed hug and Daryl just nods his head with narrowed eyes and a clenched jaw, his eyes looking down at where Glenn still has his hand on Beth's arm, though he's quick to look away when Beth raises her eyebrows at him. 

"What the Hell is this?" Rick asks as he looks around.

"An asthma attack. Couldn’t get his breath all of a sudden." Glenn says as he turns to look back at the man in the wheelchair. Rick frowns and Beth follows his eyes as he stares at Guillermo with a shake of his head.

"I thought you were being eaten by dogs, man." Glenn just lets out a laugh as he points over their shoulders where three chihuahuas sit in a basket, deep asleep and unbothered by the people walking and talking around them.

Guillermo and his men walk over, they look worried. Rick clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Could I have a word with you?" Rick asks, Guillermo nods his head and gestures for them to follow him away from the people until they enter an office like room. "You’re the dumbest son of a bitch I ever met. We walked in there ready to kill every last one of you."

"Well, I’m glad it didn’t go down that way." Guillermo says as he sits down on the desk, his hands clenched his lap and his eyes downcast. Rick places his weapon bag onto the other spare chair and Daryl leans against the door.

"If it had, that blood would be on our hands."

"Mine too. We’d have fought back. Wouldn’t be the first time we’ve had to. Protect the food, the medicine - what’s left of it. These people, the old ones - the staff took off, just left ‘em here to die. Me and Felipe were the only ones who stayed." Guillermo explains. Beth sees a whole new side to them now, they weren't bad people, not really, they were just trying to protect the crazy amount of people they had inside.

"What are you, doctors?" Daryl asks with a frown, his voice is even more raspy but the harsh edge has gone from it.

"Felipe’s a nurse - A special care provider. Me, I’m the custodian." Guillermo says before he carries on speaking. "The vatos trickle in to check on their parents, their grandparents. They see how things are and most decide to stay. It’s a good thing too. We need the muscle. The people we’ve encountered since things fell apart, the worst kind- plunderers. The kind that take by force." Beth understands his worry about them, but its hard to believe that four people could even attempt to take this place.

"I can promise you we are not like that." Beth says gently, they would have been if everything else had gone sideways. Murders for their friend - for the sake of guns - and it makes her sick. She wants to promise herself that she won't be like that but it's a hard promise to make when she has already changed so much.

"How was I to know? My people got attacked and you show up with Miguel hostage." 

"Guess the world changed." T-Dog mutters but Beth shakes her head and lets out a sigh.

"No. it’s the same as it ever was. The weak get taken. So we do what we can here. The vatos work on those cars, talk about getting the old people out of the city. But most can’t even get to the bathroom by themselves, so that’s just a dream. Still it keeps the crew busy, and that’s worth something. So we barred all the windows, welded all the doors shut except for one entrance. The vatos, they go out, scavenge what they can to keep us going. We watch the perimeter night and day and we wait. The people here, they all look to me now. I don’t even know why." It's nice to know that Guillermo feels the same.

The world never changed, maybe it got shitter and harder but it didn't change and the people never did either. People - the bad people - were the ones who would survive this world because they already had survived 'the old world'. They took what they wanted without giving a fuck, even if that meant someone died.

...

Beth stayed silent as the five of them made the journey back to the van, staying at the back of the group with the shotgun hanging loose in her hands. She didn't even know why she was still carrying it when she could have handed it off to Rick and stuck with her knife, but for whatever reason she decided that keeping it on her was a good idea. Her mind was more focused on the people they had left behind, the ones who had so much to loose. Just like all of them.

"Admit it, you only came back to Atlanta for the hat." Glenn loudly whispers as he looks up at the hat on top of Ricks head. It's slightly dirty from being left near the tank and Beth is pretty sure there is a spot of blood on it but whatever makes Rick happy.

"Don’t tell anybody."

"You’ve given away half our guns and ammo." Trust Daryl to bring down the slightly happier mood between Rick and Glenn with his glare and annoyed words. "For what? Bunch of old farts who are gonna die off momentarily anyhow? Seriously, how long you think they got?"

"How long do any of us?" Rick asks as Beth storms forward so she is standing between the men now, two on either side and a glare on her face.

"Does that matter? It was the right thing for us to do." Her words aren't as harsh as the look on her face and her voice is soft, Daryl isn't glaring at her but staring down at her confused. "Leaving old people unprotected - that's just not right." They turn the corner, all ready to climb back into the van and lay down when they get to their tents.

"Oh my God."

"Where the Hell’s our van?" Daryl asks as he moves forward and looks around. This is where they left it, Beth was sure of it. So why was it suddenly not there.

"We left it right there. Who would take it?" Glenn asks but it dawns on everyone as they turn to look at Daryl, his head is down and he looks guilty as he stares ahead at where the outline of the mountains are.

"He’s gonna be taking some vengeance back to camp."

"How are we even going to stop him - our only vehicle is gone." Beth says as she looks around. The closet working vehicle that wasn't destroyed or broken was probably in the city, surrounded by walkers and it would take them forever to find one and hope it works or has enough gas for them to even get back to the mountains in time. There was only one way they were going to be able to get back without wasting anymore time.

...

Beth remembers once for P.E they were forced (it was obligatory) to run for the hour long lesson, it had been painful at the time and afterwards she had laid on her bed for the whole weekend unable to move. She wishes that she could tell past Beth that that little hour would be nothing compared to now as she run up the road to the camp.

Her lungs are on fire, constricting so much that Beth is 100% sure she will never be able to breath properly again in her life, her legs are beginning to feel an awful lot like jelly and her heart is beating in every part of her body. But worst of all she knows the moment she attempts to take off her boots that her feet will be raw, bloody and painful to walk on for the next few days. Everyone around her is panting and all Beth can think of is that the ground below her feet has never looked at inviting as it does now.

"Can't believe your idiot brother stole the van!" Beth wheezes out at Daryl who is running beside her, panting, his hair sticking to the sides of his head and his crossbow hitting his back painfully. It's only then that Beth remembers she also has a knife in her shoe and that she is either lucky it hasn't cut her yet or her feet are so numb that she hasn't felt the cut yet.

"It's your cop friends fault." Beth almost lunges at him but she needs the energy to get to the camp to stop Merle from doing anything stupid. Rick wasn't to blame in this situation, it was Merle being a dick.

"No, it's your brothers for being a dick." Glenn sided with Beth but Daryl just scoffed and looked forward. The light fading overhead fast and the night coming quicker than they expected until it's pitch black and the night is filled with the sounds of gunshots and screams.

"Oh my God."

"Go! Go!" Glenn screams at them all.

Beth didn't know she could run any faster until she does, the boys beside her. Their guns are raised as they prepare to stop Merle only to find the redneck is not there but there over a dozen walkers are. Just like Rick taught her she doesn't overthink it as she raises her gun and begins shooting down the walkers, other shots echoing in her ears.

People are shouting everywhere and bullets are running out. Beth throws her own gun to the side as a walker comes a bit too close for comfort, her hand raised to stab it when an arrow flies past her shoulder and the thing falls. She nods at Daryl over her shoulder and moves as quick as she can. Stabbing the walkers and moving onto the next ones until all that remains is silence and cries.

When it's over Beth can't help but let out a sigh of relief, but she's shaking with adrenaline as Rick hugs his wife and child. Her eyes are scanning everywhere for walkers, Daryl, Glenn and T-Dog all doing the same. When she sees nothing she takes pleasure in being able to lean over and rest her hands on her knees, the feeling of exhaustion suddenly coming back to her.

It doesn't last long, the feeling of relief. Not when she pushes herself up and see the bodies. A sob escaping her throat as she hears Andrea and sees Amy.

Amy, the only person she really knew from before is laid on the ground, breaths coming out short and a nasty bleeding bite on her neck. Beth rushes over, her hands flying everywhere as she pulls off her jumper and presses it to Amy's neck. She knows it won't do anything, it won't stop her from dying but it might buy her and her sister more time together.

"Shh shh shh. Oh, Amy. I don’t know what to do, Amy." Andrea cries as she holds her dying sister in her arms.

"Love you." Amy rasps out as she gags slightly. She looks like she wants to say more as she raises her hand to caress her sisters cheek. Beth feels her eyes fill up with tears as Amys hand falls into Andreas lap and her eyes close. Her chest is no longer rising.

"Oh, Amy." The crying gets louder and more pained. Beth falls back onto her ass, bloody hands landing in the dried dirt. She doesn't want to look at her hands, to see the still warm blood of the dead girl in front of her or see Andrea crying over her baby sister.

Its cruel. So cruel that this had to happen and Beth can't help but think this is her fault for getting in that car and letting Glenn drive it into the mountains with the siren screaming as loud as it could. They should have pulled over and cut it off themselves or jumped in the van. Would Amy still be alive if they did that? Or were the walkers already making their way up here anyway.

"I remember my dream now, why I dug the holes." Jim says lowly. Beth can't help but turn to look at him in shock. What dream? What had happened while they had been away? What the fuck?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was it?
> 
> I changed a few things. Daryl and Beth had a bit of bickering because I love it and Beth shot a man in the ass because she can. She won't be changing too much yet, that was just a high pressure situation where her dear Glenn had been taken and she was like nah bitch.
> 
> Poor Amy. Listen I didn't want to kill her off really but it is important for Andrea, who in my story is only going to get stronger after this not mean or rude. It will also make her and Beth closer because I think Andrea is going to see a lot of Amy in Beth so yeah...
> 
> Anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please like and comment...and in return I'll continue writing and perhaps tell you about when I met Norman Reedus and Emily Kinney. Blackmail. But not really. You do you.
> 
> Also stay safe everyone please. Take care of yourselves.


	5. Wildfire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely people. Thank you so much for all your comments, you guys are the best.
> 
> This next chapter is obviously dealing with some aftermath of things. Things get a bit heated in this chapter - not sexually unfortunately but maybe one day. It also kind of contains on of the first things that aren't canon, not really.
> 
> I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter.
> 
> I do not own The Walking Dead.

Rick had seen some shit since he woke up in the hospital.

A sweet girl practically chasing after him and becoming someone he could rely on in a short space of time.

A man and his son taking them in and explaining everything, showing him kindness he never knew.

Almost dying in Atlanta and meeting a group that would eventually bring him back to his family. Then having to go back to Atlanta to save a man only to meet people who had so much to loose.

Yet nothing could really compare to this. Half their group gone in a few single seconds, laid dead on the floor of the camp. It was tragic and a reminder of scary the world was right now - especially after he managed to survive so many near-death experiences. He could feel himself growing tougher in the world, adapting to the changes happening around him and it scared.

Just like how Beth was changing. She was still so sweet and kind, always quick to offer a smile and friendship to anyone who needed it but he could see the hardness in her eyes whenever something happened that she wasn't sure how to deal with. He hated it but he understand it. This world was going change them all and he wouldn't be surprised if they are unrecognisable in a few months - he just didn't want that to be Beth or Carl or Glenn. They were all too good for this world, people who deserved the best in life but were forced into shitty situation.

Beth or Glenn could have gone home. He would have taken Beth back to her farm if she had asked, knew Morgan had offered too and yet she stayed by his side, offered comfort and friendship as they look for his family, leaving hers far behind.

Despite all that though he could see she'd found a part of herself she never knew she had. A strong girl who could hold her own, who had picked up a crossbow to shoot a man in the ass to save her friend, who had fought with him on saving that same friend - who had held her gun to a mans head when everyone else stayed back. Then she had gone toe to toe with a man who seemed angrier than a raging storm. Beth was a capable, smart, kind and strong woman who would make it far in this world.

Probably even further if Daryl Dixon kept being eager to throw himself in front of her. It almost made Rick laugh that Beth probably didn't even realise how smitten the hunter was for her - it didn't make sense to Rick because all they ever did was bicker but he could see how Daryl would stare at Beth, tips of his ears red and his eyes narrowed like he was trying to figure out. Not to mention the glares he was constantly sending Glenn. Rick doubted though that Daryl had no idea how he even felt, just like Beth. 

The two could see every little thing going on around them but remained oblivious to what was happening between them.

Rick broke out of his thoughts with a small smile as he crouched down, raising the walkie-talkie to his lips as he stared out at the distant broken city. "Morgan, I don’t know if you’re out there. I don’t know if you can hear me. Maybe you’re listening right now. I hope so. I found others. My family if you can believe it." Rick says softly as he thinks of his family.

Carl with his big grin and kind eyes. The perfect son who would do anything anyone asked of him. Rick had missed him so much, he couldn't explain to anyone what it was like to feel like you might have lost your child. The hole in his heart, the numbness that seemed to surround him until he found Carl again. Of course he loved Lori and he would be devastated if anything happened to her but it wouldn't kill him the same why it would if he lost Carl.

"My wife and son, they’re alive. And Beth is safe like I promised. I wanted you to know that. There’s something else you need to know. Atlanta isn’t what we thought. It’s not what they promised. The city is - do not enter the city. It belongs to the walkers now. We’re camped a few miles northwest, up by a big abandoned rock quarry. You can see it on a map. I hope you come find us. But be careful. Last night walkers came out of the woods. We lost people. Watch yourself, Morgan. Take care of your boy. I’ll try you again tomorrow at dawn."

...

The night had seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye for Beth as she sat beside Andrea. She didn't speak or offer anything but simply sat there, Amy's blood on her hands, dried and cracking, staining her skin in a way that made Beth think they would never be clean again. The first blood on her hands and what she assumed wouldn't be the last. Except she didn't kill Amy - no Amy was laid dead in her sisters lap with a gaping wound in her neck.

The same wounds that seemed to have killed half their camp, all laid out on the floor with people stabbing them in the heads to make sure they stayed dead and dragging their bodies away from the people still alive.

"Andrea." Lori's voice floats into Beth's ears, breaking her out of whatever trance she had been in during the night, much like the one she had at the hospital. Lori kneeled beside Andrea, her hand reaching out to touch the womans back before she thinks better of it. "I’m so sorry. She’s gone. You got to let us take her. We all cared about her and I promise we’ll be as gentle as we can." It almost made Beth laugh, Lori wasn't going to do shit. She would sit and watch as everyone else gathered the dead.

"Just leave her be Lori." Beth speaks for the first time during the night, her voice is harsh and raspy as she pulls herself onto her feet and ignores the groans of her muscles and shooting pains in her feet. Lori doesn't fight her, she simply nods her head and leaves them there. "I better go help out, you know where I am if you need me." Beth says softly as she passes Andrea, the older woman doesn't look at her but Beth knows she heard it.

Time seems to pass even quicker as they gather the dead. Her muscles ache painfully as her hands are cramping from lifting the heavy bodies up but she doesn't make a sound, instead she pushes through, working with Morales, Glenn and T-Dog to rid their camp of walkers and dead humans a like. And as much as Beth enjoys throwing walkers onto a fire, she doesn't enjoy the smell they omit which seems even worse than before. 

"She still won’t move?" Rick asks as Beth wipes her hands onto her jeans, Amy's jeans, leaving bloody and dirty marks behind. Her hair is beginning to curl with sweat and she's pretty sure she smells worse than the burning walkers - probably looks worse than them too but she makes sure to not complain.

"She won’t even talk to us. She’s been there all night. What do we do?" Lori asks, it's the one time Beth has seen concern on her face since she first saw Rick again. But it's not the same concern an adult human would show to another adult human, it's softer, almost like she is looking at a child. Like she is looking at Carl.

"Can’t just leave Amy like that. We need to deal with it. Same as the others." Shane says and Beth wants to agree but she knows that Andrea needs this, that dragging Amy away makes it permanent. This way it almost looks as though Amy is sleeping, her big sister just watching over her.

"I’ll tell her how it is."

"Rick just leave it." Beth tries to stop him, her hand reaching out for his arm but he just shrugs her off - his cop face on as he storms forward towards the grieving woman. He crouches down beside her, mouth open to say something when the woman turns around fast, her gun in her hand and the end of it pointing right at Rick's head as she cocks it. Beth lets out a sigh, she had tried to warn him.

"I know how the safety works."

...

Beth had done pretty well at avoiding Daryl most of the morning, busying herself and simply staying away from him. She didn't want to argue or listen to the absurd shit that came out of his mouth, not today. Not any day really but she knew some days couldn't be avoided because Daryl was a bit of a dick and she had a temper on her. So Beth had no idea what she was thinking when she expected Daryl to keep his mouth shut today of all days.

"Y’all can’t be serious. Let that girl hamstring us? The dead girl’s a time bomb." Daryl snarls out loudly when the group all meet not ten minutes after Andrea pointed her gun at Rick. Beth wants to keep her mouth shut, just take a step back and let Rick and Shane deal with him but something in her won't let that happen.

"What do you suggest?"

"Take the shot. Clean, in the brain from here. Hell, I can hit a turkey between the eyes from this distance." That's great. It really is that he is so talented at hunting but it doesn't seem like something to brag about when they are comparing a sweet innocent woman to a turkey. It's also not the answer right now, this has to be Andrea's choice and no one else's.

"Can't you show some compassion at least. She just lost her sister." Beth says, her voice has lost the usual sass she uses with Daryl and instead has been replaced with tiredness. Tiredness at the whole situation.

Because she doesn't get it. Beth knows if she was in Andrea's shoes and that was Shawn or Maggie in her lap that she wouldn't be moving for days, that she wouldn't want anyone to touch her or do anything. So she doesn't get how Daryl can be such a dick when he knows how it feels to lose a sibling - what he had done in order to try and get Merle back and how broken he had been when he realised Merle was gone. And yet here he is offering to shoot at the dead girl on her sisters lap like it's not even that big of a deal.

"And it's only a matter of time before that sister comes back and kills us all." Daryl growls at her but his crossbow is still resting on his back, assuring her for the minute he won't be shooting anyone.

"You're an ass you know that! No fucking ounce of sympathy in your body at all. Fuck you." Beth snaps out, the anger flooding through her veins, delayed but it's there. Her teeth are clenched together and her eyes are glaring at her. Daryl just narrows his own at her as he takes a step closer to her, reminding her once again how much taller he is than her.

"If she comes back and gets her teeth into someone blondie then their blood will be on your hands." Daryl says lowly, his finger pointing in her face and practically touching her nose. She can see Shane shrug at Rick beside them who's hand coming up to cover his face as he yet again has to deal with them. Daryl must see it too as he lets out a scoff and turns away.

Beth knows she should turn away, get back to what she was doing and just leave it be but it's like her eyes have a mind of their own as they stay focused on him and her feet stay pinned to the ground. She angry - fuming - but it doesn't stop her eyes from lingering on his arms as he picks up a body from the floor with Morales, carrying it towards the fire with what seems like little effort. Stupid strong idiot.

"What are you guys doing? This is for geeks. Our people go over there." Glenn all but shouts as he rushes over, standing in front of the fire before they can throw the body into the hungry flames.

"What’s the difference? They’re all infected." Daryl says as though that makes everything better, like Glenn is going to just move out their way with a nod of his head.

"Our people go in that row over there." Glenn says again as he points once more to the place where their people are before crying out. "We don’t burn them! We bury them. Understand?" Daryl and Morales say nothing more as they move the body to where the people are, Glenn following close behind them, his eyes watery and his bottom lip quivering slightly.

"You reap what you sow." Daryl rasps out as he drops the body by the people. He turns to send a glare to Beth making her know that he is also talking to her. That he thinks she's stupid for not letting him shoot Amy and be done with it, that he thinks Glenn is stupid for not burning every dead body. In reality Beth just thinks he doesn't understand how normal people with empathy behave.

"You know what? Shut up, man." Morales snaps before anyone else can, dropping the arms of the dead person he was holding. He sounds tired too, like he doesn't have it in him to listen to everyone's bullshit today.

"Y’all left my brother for dead. You had this coming." His eyes are still on here, making it clear that he also blames her for Merle. That one she gets, it makes sense that he would still be angry about that but it also conflicts with him wanting to shoot Amy. Maybe he did have feelings, maybe they were solely for his brother. Beth honestly didn't know and she didn't really care anymore which is why she just looked away.

Jacqui was sat by herself not far away on a rock, staring ahead as Beth sat herself down beside her with a sigh, her head falling into her hands as she feels the older, gentle woman wrap an arm around her shoulders. The woman smells different but if Beth closes her eyes it's almost like her mom is hugging her again, giving comfort that only mothers can.

"How you doing sweetie?" Jacqui asks as Beth opens her eyes and stretches out her aching legs. She isn't sure how to really answer that question because she doesn't know how she feels. Not really.

Sad, of course, anyone dying was sad. But in reality she didn't really know these people who had died in the most tragic way, she hadn't been with them since the beginning or grown a bond with them like everyone else had. Everyone she knew, and truly cared for, had been with her and was luckily still alive not laid out of the way waiting to be buried. Yet Beth couldn't help but also feel some sort of relief for them, they didn't have to live in this horrid world anymore, but she couldn't say all this to Jacqui.

"I'm tired, how about - Jim are you bleeding?" Beth asks suddenly as Jim makes his way over to them, his opened shirt blowing in the wind and giving her a glimpse at the blood on his vest underneath. His hand reaches up to cover the blood as soon as Beth speaks, before Jacqui can get up and take a look.

"I just got some on me from the bodies." Jim tries to reassure them with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes but Jacqui is already standing up and pulling away his hands so she can take a look. Her hand drops fast and she takes some steps backwards as Beth forces herself to stand up once again even though her legs were finally taking some time to relax.

"That blood’s fresh. Were you bit?" 

"No. I got scratched during the attack." Jim tries once again to reassure them, mainly Jacqui because Beth's brain is working in overdrive as she figures out what to do and how to deal with this situation without drawing too much attention to themselves. He's clearly lying to them as he tries to smile. "I’m fine."

"Then show us." Jacqui pushes as she tries to reach forward only for Jim to jump away from her prying fingers as he turns to look at Beth.

"Don’t tell, please." His voice is but a whisper and Beth feels her throat begin to close. She knows why he's speaking to her, why he thinks it's more important to get through to her - he's scared she is going to tell Rick and have the whole camp around them in an instant. It's not Beth he needs to worry about though because Jacqui is backing away from them with wide eyes, her mouth open and her finger raising as she points at Jim.

"I - Jacqui just wait a minute - we can't just - we need to figure out what to do before we go announcing things." Beth says as she tries to stop the woman. She knows Rick needs to know or Shane or whoever is in charge. She's well aware that they can't just keep this to themselves but it doesn't need to be announced to the already frightened people in camp.

"Beth, we know what we need to do." Before Beth or Jim can stop her she begins shouting. "A walker got him. A walker bit Jim."

Attention had never been Beth's strongest suit, it was the reason she never sang for anyone but her family and closest friends. She hated having everyone look at her, it only made her want to shrink away and hide until everything blew over - and as much as she wanted to do that now, she couldn't. The camp was staring at her, Jacqui and Jim in shock, waiting for one of them to elaborate as Jim tries to reassure everyone he is fine. 

"Show it to us." Daryl is ahead of the crowd, moving and speaking before anyone else as his hand reaches out towards her. Beth stares at it in confusion until it wraps around her wrist and tries to pull her away only to be batted back. She wasn't too sure how long it took for the fever to hit and for someone to die but she was pretty sure that at the moment she was safe from being bit by Jim. That didn't stop Daryl from trying to reach for her. "Girl, move out of the way."

Beth steps away from him and closer to Jim as the crowd circles around them, almost like a mob with angry pitchforks. It's tense for Beth so she can't even imagine how Jim must be feeling - he has a shovel in his hands so he must be feeling pretty scared right now. It's horrible to see and she wants to help him.

"Let me go!" Beth shouts out harshly as Daryl tries to reach for her once again, she dodges his attempt and places herself in front of Jim with a glare as everyone stares at her. "What are you all doing? Backing him into a corner like an animal, can't you see what you are doing to him?" The crowd continue staring at her as Shane joins them, taking cautious steps towards Beth as though she is the one they are trying to catch.

"Beth, we just need to check him." Shane says to her softly as he stands in front of her, he leans around her to look at Jim with a frown ignoring the glare Beth is sending his way. "Jim, just put down the shovel, we aren't going to hurt you, I promise."

"Come on blondie." Beth lets out a groan as Daryl appears beside her without warning, wrapping his arms around her waist and picking her up. He moves her away from the circle, letting out a grunt as one of her kicks manage to hit his knee but he doesn't stop until she is on the other side of camp and she can't see what they are doing to Jim anymore.

... 

Daryl won't let her move past the R.V, won't even let her talk to Jim when Rick moves him inside. No he's practically got her boxed in - which was something she had thought about but in a completely different situation that didn't involve her fuming with anger and glaring up at him. It also involved his hands on either side of her and not by his side as he looked around them, eyes snapping Beth each time she so much as shifted her feet.

"Enjoy manhandling Beth, Daryl?" Beth lets out a sigh of relief as Glenn comes to stand beside her, leaning against the R.V with a raised eyebrow. He doesn't look all that amused, instead he looks slightly pissed off. "Weren't going to throw her on a fire were you?" It's a dig and Daryl knows it, Beth knows it and anyone who is listening knows that too.

"Nah, I was saving your girlfriends ass." Daryl drawls out, he seems unbothered as he takes a step away from Beth.

"From what? A man who feels like he needs to protect himself? Jeez, thanks so much." Beth spits at him sarcastically as she moves forward. She won't go into the R.V because she knows Rick will push her out straight away but she isn't going to just allow herself to be boxed in by some guy who thinks he needs to save her from nothing when all he ever does is glare at her.

"Also Beth is not my girlfriend - I shouldn't have to keep saying that." Glenn huffs out, sounding more annoyed by that little remark than anything else that has been said. He smirks as he looks between Daryl and Beth, she can't help but close her eyes because she knows he is going to say something stupid. "But if you need some more assurance that Beth is single then I can give you that." Daryl's eyes go wide as he looks to Glenn, his mouth falling open but no retort coming out which is probably a good thing as the R.V door opens and the rest of the group join them.

"Jim has settled down slightly, Carol is with him for the minute...everything ok here?" Rick asks as he joins them, eyes flickering between the three of them with a frown. Glenn is smirking slightly as he receives a glare from Daryl and Beth's cheeks feel like they are on fire, which she knows mean they are red enough that they could be seen between the trees.

"Right now we need to decide what to do."

"I say we put a pickaxe in his head and the dead girl’s and be done with it." Daryl says as he looks to Shane, taking his eyes off Glenn. Beth feels her face cool down in an instant as she crosses her arms over her chest and lets out a scoff.

"Of course. Is that what you’d want if it were you?" Beth asks loudly as everyone turns to look at her, everyone but Daryl who seems more focused on his shoes moving the dirt around. "For us to just kill you where you stood, no questions asked?" Daryl finally looks up at her, sharp eyes roaming her face as he brings his thumb up to his mouth and bites down on it.

"Yeah, and I’d thank you while you did it, blondie." Is voice isn't as harsh but it's sincere. He really believes that's what he would want if the situations were reversed, but Beth can't help but doubt him. No one knows what they want until they are put in that situation.

"I hate to say it - I never thought I would but maybe Daryl’s right." Dale admits, everyone turning to look at him shocked, even Daryl who clearly didn't expect anyone to agree with him. Beth can't believe it either. That someone like Dale would agree with putting a man down before he's even dead or before they can even ask him what it is he wants. This just isn't right.

"Jim’s not a monster, Dale, or some rabid dog." Rick says with a frown. Beth is happy that someone seems to agree with her.

"I’m not suggesting - "

"What is wrong with you people? He's a sick man, one who hasn't even turned yet. If we kill him now then where do we draw the line in the future? We kill walkers, not humans." Beth can't keep her thoughts in anymore. She can hear her daddy in her head scolding her for cutting someone off so impolitely but she doesn't care. Everything Daryl and Dale have said makes sense. It does and she understand what they are saying but it all feels so wrong to her. 

Standing outside and trying to discuss what to do with the man inside like he doesn't even matter, or even need to be involved in this discussion. He should have a say in what happens to him and they shouldn't be discussing him like he is some pig they are going to slaughter. It's wrong, it's making her head hurt and her eyes fill with tears.

"The line’s pretty clear. Zero tolerance for walkers. Or them to be." Daryl snaps but his voice softens towards the end as he looks at Beth, eyebrows furrowing together as Beth lets the first tear fall. She doesn't bother wiping it away as she glares at him.

"Maybe we should add zero tolerance for assholes on that list too." 

"What about zero tolerance for little blonds who are trying to sit at the adult table when they clearly aren't ready?" Beth doesn't think he means it come out as harsh as it does by the way his jaw snaps shut but Beth looks away as she realises everyone is staring at them, probably thinking the same as Daryl. She's stood there crying over a discussion well everyone else is managing to keep their cool. She's pathetic.

"What if we can get him help? I heard the C.D.C. was working on a cure." Rick says as he rubs her arm, moving on from the bickering between Daryl and Beth. Directing them towards what he had probably wanted to talk about all day.

"I heard that too. Heard a lot of things before the world went to Hell." Shane says as he moves his eyes away from Beth. She moves out of view, back to leaning on the R.V and hanging her head so her ponytail moves to cover her face from view. She can still feel eyes on her but she doesn't look up. She looked weak to them now, crying and being called out by Daryl, they probably didn't even want her there anymore.

"What if the C.D.C. is still up and running?" Ricks asks. Glenn comes to stand beside her, his arm moving to wrap around her neck as he pulls her into his shoulder. He smells like walkers but she doesn't mind, instead she takes the comfort he is offering her and rests her head on his shoulder as she plays with her fingers.

"That is a stretch right there." Shane says to Rick, shaking his head and moving slightly.

"Why? If there’s any government left, any structure at all, they’d protect the C.D.C. at all costs, wouldn’t they? I think it’s our best shot. Shelter, protection, rescue - " Rick says as he lists of the reason for them to go. Beth knows it's more to do with the group than it is to getting Jim there, he's just got the excuse and reason he needs to get them there, it a side of him that Beth isn't overly keen on but she understands.

"Okay, Rick, you want those things, all right? I do too. Okay? Now if they exist, they’re at the army base. Fort Benning." Shane says. Beth knows it's on the border of Alabama, an hour and a half away if they take the I-85 S and the I-185 S but that could be blocked off which means it could end up taking another hour if they have to just stay on the I-185 S or they could go to the C.D.C which wouldn't take as long and they've more chance of getting there without being blocked off.

"That’s a hundred miles in the opposite direction." Lori says like she is reading Beth's mind.

"That is right. But it’s away from the hot zone. Now listen to me. If that place is operational, it’ll be heavily armed. We’d be safe there." Shane tries to convince them again, Beth knows some people will be swayed by the thought of having people there to protect them but what if it's all fallen apart like Atlanta and they get there with no clue what to do next. Probably no gas and cars full of people.

"The military were on the front lines of this thing. They got overrun. We’ve all seen that. The C.D.C. is our best choice and Jim’s only chance." Rick says, using Jim as a way to get to where he wants.

"You go looking for aspirin; do what you need to do. Someone needs to have some balls to take care of this damn problem!" Daryl snaps, she sees his feet move towards the R.V door and pushes Glenn off her as she runs ahead to stop him, her arms stretching out over the door as Jim opens it. Daryl has his pick axe raised but stops when he sees her there.

Beth doesn't think twice about pushing Jim back inside and shutting the door behind him as she turns to glare at Daryl. "We do not kill the living!" Her voice shakes as she shouts at him, the pick axe lowering in his hands as he glares down at her with such loathing she almost wants to shrink away but she can't and she won't, not with this. Not when he is threatening someone's life.

"That's funny considering you and your little cop friend held your guns to my head." Daryl growls at her like a wild dog, his finger coming up to point at her and Rick. She learnt in a short time that he likes to talk with his hands. "To my brothers head."

"I wasn't planning on killing you or your brother, you just needed to listen and you need to listen now!"

"No, I need to deal with the problem because no one else will." Beth sees Daryl standing right in front of her, she's been seeing him for days but now she feels like she might be a tiny bit closer to actually knowing something about him. He's willing to do the hard things that no one is, willing to let himself be hated for it because it doesn't make a difference to him when everybody here is already too afraid of him. For the first time she actually gets him.

"Because we are not heartless dicks!" Just because she gets him it doesn't mean her mouth has caught up to that fact as it spews another insults at him before she can stop herself. Even if she has a point to make. "It may escape your notice but people round here tend to care for other people. We are not doing anything to Jim, not until we have explored the other options."

"We may disagree on some things, not on this one. You put it down. Go on." Shane says as he moves to stand between them, his back to Beth as Daryl takes a step away from him, eyes narrowed as he turns and walks away without another word leaving Beth to sag against the door in tiredness.

...

Beth goes to find him later on when everything has calmed down slightly and no one seems eager to run in and kill Jim. It doesn't take her long to see him by the dead people, pick axe going in and out of the head as he makes sure they are all dead before they are moved to the graves. He doesn't turn to look at her as he raises his axe above Ed Peletier but she thinks he knows she's there.

Beth doesn't speak as she waits for him to make sure that dick stays dead. Shane had explained to Rick last night while Beth was sat with Andrea what had happened with Ed, what he had done to his wife and daughter and how Shane had threatened him. Beth didn't feel sorry he was dead, it irked her and she knew that was wrong of her, but it was hard to feel sorry for a monster who had no problem abusing those in his care - the world and his family would be better with him gone.

"I’ll do it. He’s my husband." Carol is standing beside Daryl now, her voice soft as she reaches out to take the axe from his hands. She lets out a sob as she stares down at her husband before bringing down the axe to smash against his face with a groan. Beth can practically feel the mixture of anger and sadness coming off the woman.

It feels like Beth should stop her when the woman carries on hitting her husband, tears flowing down her face, but when Daryl doesn't move and he just watches the woman beside him with no emotion on his face. Carol stops herself from hitting Ed any further, pushing the axe back into Daryl's waiting hands as Beth moves forward towards him.

"Pathetic." He says under his breath, shooting Beth a quick look before he goes back to what he was doing before.

"No one allowed to cry now, zero tolerance for emotions?" She hadn't come over here to fight, the opposite actually. She had wanted to apologise for being a bit harsh with him, let him know that she understood what he was doing but the moment he opened his mouth...well she couldn't help but snap at him. Carol was allowed to cry if she wanted to, it was clear that well her husband had been a dick, she had in her own way cared for him and is understandably upset about his death.

"What do you want, Princess?" Daryl asks, he doesn't sound as harsh but he's eyeing her warily like he's scared she might burst into tears at any moment. Beth looks away at the nickname, not sure if it's better or worse than blondie.

"Want a lot of things but mainly you to stop being an ass." Beth says with a sigh as she leans against the jeep they would be using to transport all the bodies to the graves Jim had dug the day before. Beth doesn't think too much on that, it's too creepy to think about.

"More important things to worry about than how I behave." Daryl says with a shrug. He has a point, they have a bitten man in an R.V, walkers burning in a fire and a bunch of dead bodies beside them, not to mention a group of rather terrified people. And Beth is here focusing on Daryl, not sure what it is she was even here to say anymore because everything just feels so tense and awkward between them if they aren't screaming at each other.

"Not when you are causing problems in the group." 

"Known these people, what? A day? Two? And suddenly you think you are part of the group." Daryl says as he turns to look at her with those narrowed eyes. "'Cause guess what blondie, you're gonna be for a hell of a surprise when you find out that none of them give a shit about you and you find fending for yourself all alone." Beth knows he's just been mean but it would be a lie if she didn't admit to herself his words were effecting her. 

"That why you act like a dick? Cause you're scared these people don't care about you?" It's out of her mouth before she can stop herself and Daryl is tensing, giving her a glare that makes her feel all cold inside. She knows she's hit a nerve that he didn't even know he had or hadn't wanting to admit to himself.

"Fuck you want for me blondie? Want me to start crying and throwing myself in harms way so I can get what I want? Throw myself onto any who shows me the slightest bit of affection like some sort of whore?" Ouch. Daryl is a foot away from her now, throwing his arms around as he speaks and Beth is looking down at her feet. She knows he's only lashing out because he's scared what she said is true but it hurts. It hurts because she knows this is what most woman at the camp think of her, or at least Lori does. But it hurts more because it comes from him and for whatever reason she doesn't want him to think of her like that. 

"You don't need to be rude, I just came to talk to - "

"Yeah well guess what - I don't want you here, I don't want to talk to you and I don't want to be your friend. So just fuck off and leave me alone." Daryl hisses at her as he gets right into her face, she can see the hurt in his eyes and then he's backing away from her and Beth is wiping away the tears that had managed to leak out of her eyes.

"Whatever, I'm done trying with you." Daryl stops as she speaks, looking at her with a slight frown as she straightens herself up, sends him a shrug instead of a glare. "Just remember, Dixon, that you reap what you sow." Beth says lowly as she uses his own words against him and then she's leaving. Turning away from him and pretending that his words just hurt because she had always been a bit sensitive and not because what he says matters to her.

...

It seems Beth doesn't have a knack for timing with this group, running her mouth and shouting out her ideas and insults without even running them through her head first and now with the reawakening of Amy. She knows Rick and Shane are nearby, hands on their guns and ready to do what Andrea might not be able to so she stays where she is by the trees and just watches.

"Amy." Andrea cries. "Amy, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for not ever being there. I always thought there’d be more time." Beth can hear Andrea. Hear the pain in her voice as she tries to talk to her dead sister, the one who's eyes are now an icy cold blue and who's hair is stained with her own blood but Andrea just holds her there in her hands, stroking her face lovingly like she isn't in danger. Like her sister isn't trying to sit up to eat her.

"I’m here now, Amy. I’m here." Tears are falling down Beth's face at the site, she quickly wipes them away as she sees Daryl enter the camp, his eyes finding her but she looks back to the sisters. "I love you." Andrea whispers one last time as she pulls the trigger, the gunshot ringing out throughout camp as Amy falls back onto her sisters lap once and for all.

And Beth. Well she can't stay there watching nor listening to the cries because Andrea has a reason to cry right now and she doesn't. No one needs to see her break down, not right now - no one needs to know what Daryl said to her and how she was thinking it was true with everything else going on. So she heads backward, feeling those sharp eyes still on her as she moves through the tree and away from the camp. They were her problems and she would sort them out by herself.

...

Beth can hear the sounds of cars, the people chattering lowly and the sniffles from Andrea from where she sits at the top of the mountain looking over Atlanta. Her eyes are itchy and dry from all the tears she's cried and she's pretty sure her cheeks are blotchy, but for the first time since she locked herself in that staffroom she's let herself feel the overwhelming emotions that had been swirling around inside of her and ready to escape.

She knows she's been in over her head. Sitting and making plans with the adults like they will look at her as anything more than a child. Doing things that old Beth would have never had thought she would ever do, not just because she had to but because she knew she needed to. If she backed away, let Rick deal with everything and cowered behind him like a dog then no one was ever going to take her seriously. It just a shame that acting like she has been meant she had lost a part of herself.

That innocence. The naivety that she had always had, that everyone had always placed on her was gone and instead she had been labelled as the stubborn girl. The one who caused more problems than good and the one who couldn't keep her mouth shut for a second.

"What you doing out here?"

"Glenn?" Beth turns to look at the man behind her, he's staring down at her with a small smile.

"Were you expecting someone else? A certain rugged redneck, perhaps?" He jokes as he moves to sit next to her (Beth can't help but think Daryl Dixon is last person she wants to see right now) before frowning as he gently tilts her face towards him, taking in all the traces her crying had left behind. He frown for a second before he speaks, concern flooding through his voice. "Hey, why are you crying? Did he say something to you?"

"Only some things I had already been thinking before - like feeling like an outsider with the group." Beth tones down what was actually said because she knows Glenn will not take too kindly to what Daryl had actually said to her and she's too tired to break up another fight.

"What? If he told you that then he's the biggest jerk and liar left on the earth. You totally fit in here." Glenn says, he looks genuinely shocked, like he can't even believe she would think that or why anyone would say that too her.

"Maybe as the problem maker."

"Beth. Stop it." Glenn says fiercely as she turns to look at him and waits for him to speak. "Before you got here I was the young kid that no one even really cared about or wanted to know about. A foreigner to them. Then you can along, listened to me and became someone I could rely on for anything. I know Rick feels the same about you too." Glenn tries to explain to her. Beth frowns, she didn't think the group would be anything but kind to the happy-go-lucky guy beside her.

"I get that - "

"You put Lori and Andrea both in their place, earned the respect of one of them. T-Dog thinks your the most badass woman around, Dale thinks your sweet as does everyone else. And Daryl, well I never seen the guy so bent out of shape for someone." Beth wants to ask what he means by that but Glenn isn't finished on his little rant just yet. "I know it may be selfish of me to want to keep you here if you want to go but dammit Beth, I will - I - I will lock you in a car and throw away the key if you even think about leaving me alone here with these people." Beth lets out a little laugh as Glenn nudges her shoulder gently.

"Daryl is the one who wants me gone." Beth says to him as Glenn lets out a snort of laughter, his hand reaching up to cover his mouth.

"Dude. No he does not. He's just being a scared little boy who can't deal with his emotions, and who would be devastated if you let - he would probably hunt you down and bring you back, you've got to trust me on this." Glenn states confidently but Beth finds it hard to believe him. Daryl barely even likes her, can't be in the same room as her without them bickering and told her to fuck off in more ways than one when she tried to talk to him.

"If I stay - if - "

"Oh no if's about it, you are not going anywhere. I'll handcuff you to me - not like that - I mean unless you know that's what would make you stay then I can - " Beth can tell he's going to start rambling again, his cheeks turning red and she has to stop him before he ends up going down the road he seems to be heading. She refuses to even have that discussion with him.

"Glenn please shut up. I'll stay, no need to offer that, I'm good - more than good." Beth says as she holds up her hand. Glenn lets out a sigh and raises a hand to his chest in relief, Beth doesn't know whether to feel insulted that he is so relieved she didn't say yes or happy that he didn't say yes. It's not like she wanted to either.

"Thank god." Glenn whispers after a second as Beth rolls her eyes and elbows him in his side. "Violence is never the answer Bethany." She reaches for him again as he gets up, spinning out of her way before holding out his hand to help her up. "Do I need to tell Daryl about these violent kinks you have?" When Beth pulls him back to the ground and wanders back to camp without him, no one bats an eye, not even when he follows her not two seconds later.

...

As Beth makes her way back down to camp, her back pack on her shoulders, she smiles slightly at those she passes, happy to see them smile back sadly with no judgement in their eyes. Sophia even waves at her and Carol pats her arm gently before getting on with organizing their things. The bodies have gone now and the fire is died, the funerals have probably taken place and no one seems mad that she missed them.

"Hey Carl, you ok?" Her voice is soft as she stops the boy passing by her with his head hung low. She remembers when her fathers brother died, how her cousin came to stay with them for a couple of days well his mother sorted out the house. She remembers her mothers words of speaking soft and calm to the boy in her head, it makes them feel more at ease or something.

"Yeah - I feel bad for everyone else though." He speaks as he looks up at her with those blue eyes so much like his fathers, full of adoration. Beth had sensed from the moment she had met him that he harboured some form of crush on her judging by the blush on his cheeks and the moon eyes he is giving her. It's cute but she's a bit too old for him. "Will you be riding with us to the - ".

"C.D.C? I'm not sure - I'll speak to your dad but Sophia and Carol might want to ride with you guys." Beth says as she smirks slightly, reaching down to nudge his shoulder as she gestures at Sophia. He follows her gaze and his head falls slightly and Beth can't help but feel bad for him but it would be more appropriate if he was crushing on someone his own age and not someone six years older than him. "I'm sorry." Carl doesn't say anything else as he walks away from her and over towards Sophia and Carol making her feel guilty.

"Should I tell Daryl that you've found someone else? Someone who is actually nice to you and treats you good?" Glenn whispers as he passes by her with a wink, his spirits seeming to have returned slightly after funeral or he is just pretending for her sake. He lets out a little laugh when she sends a glare his way.

"Glenn I swear to god I am going to take that crowbar and shove it so far up your - hi Rick." Beth says as she cuts herself off and smiles at the man in front of her, who has practically treated her like his own kin. He frowns down at her and looks to Glenn who is moving away from them grinning.

"Beth, where were you?" He asks, Beth thinks about what to say. She doesn't want to explain that she was crying because of something mean Daryl said but it seems she doesn't have to as his eyes take note of the backpack on her shoulder. "Thinking of going somewhere?" 

"I - I was just going to step up for the night, I'm pretty exhausted and I reckon we have a long day tomorrow." Beth says, leaving out the part where she was going to leave until Glenn talked her out of it with a few mild threats. She wasn't leaving anytime soon so he didn't need to know and worry himself.

"Good, I thought I was going to have to convince you not to go. You know you belong with us, right, can't do this without you Bethy." He's the second person to call her Bethy, and like with Glenn it makes her smile, makes her feel more at home. It's like he can read her mind as he smiles at her softly and places his hand on her shoulder, giving her comfort that she wasn't aware she needed.

"Can't do it without you either." Beth whispers because her throat has begun to close. Rick wraps his arms around her and pulls her into his chest for a quick hug before pulling away and resting his hand on her head. "Now if you excuse me, I have to go make sure Glenn is keeping his mouth shut." Beth says as Rick moves his hand and follows her eyesight to where Glenn is trying to move closer and closer to Daryl, a cheeky smirk on his face as he spots the two looking at him.

Beth hears Rick laugh from the moment she grabs Glenn and pulls him away from the hunter, pushing him towards their tent with a glare.

... 

There was a strange sort of melancholy that settled over the camp during the night, yet in a way there remained some sort of cheerfulness as people went around and spoke about their fond memories of the passed. It was almost easy to forget their was Jim, bitten, in the R.V as she sat beside Glenn, both of them sharing a blanket and a can of some food between them.

No one had paid them any mind, not even when everyone settled into their smaller groups and eventually to bed. Rick had come over quickly to say goodnight with a kiss on her forehead and ruffled hair for Glenn and Daryl - well Daryl had barely kept his eyes off them. She didn't look once, but she could feel him watching her, waiting for her to look up at him, but she didn't. And the moment he stood up and took a step to their direction she was in the tent and letting sleep take over her.

Personally she didn't know what Daryl wanted. He didn't seem like the sort to apologise for anything, so unless he was going to say sorry then he really had no reason to be walking over to her because Beth was done with all the fight.

And now here she is.

Feeling refreshed for the first time in god knows how long, sat on the mountain with Rick as they wait for dawn to approach so Beth can send a message to Morgan for them with the walk-talkie.

"Hey Morgan, it's Beth. We're leaving the quarry now. Rick says if you heard him yesterday then you might be coming to us, so just know that if you are that we'll be gone by the time you get here. Rick's gonna leave a note and a map behind, tapped to a red sports car. We're gonna head to the C.D.C. It's the only hope we have left. Please stay safe and tell Duane I said hi." Beth finished as she let out a sigh, turning the walkie off and handing it back to Rick with hope that Morgan and Daune had heard them and would be back with them soon.

...

"Everybody listen up. Those of you with C.B.s, we’re gonna be on Channel 40. Let’s keep the chatter down, okay? Now you got a problem, don’t have a C.B., can’t get a signal or anything at all, you’re gonna hit your horn one time. That’ll stop the caravan. Any questions?" Shane shouts out at them, hands on his hips as he waits for anyone to talk, shocked when Morales and his family move towards him and Rick.

Beth knows what is coming, she had already said her goodbyes this morning, offered them luck. It was the reason she was now sat in the small R.V dining space, leaning against the window and listening to the soft snores coming from Jim, who's fever had kicked up a notch this morning and was making him a bit loopy. They had finally managed to cool him down enough that he slept, though someone was always listening for the snores to stop and the growls to start. Beth had offered to look after him today.

Glenn entered not soon after, bag over his shoulder which he threw on the kitchen counter as he slid in opposite her with a sigh, taking off his hat and running his fingers through his hair before he placed the hat back on again. "I think Daryl was looking for you."

"Hm."

"Think he felt bad, managed to speak to me this morning while you were with Rick." Glenn carries on speaking as Beth leans her head back against the chair, not saying anything because she knows he is going to carry on talking. "He said, where's Beth? I said sorting some things out and then he walked off only to come back frowning after ten minutes, so what happened?"

"No idea, I was with Rick and then I was in your tent making sure you didn't leave anything behind." Beth explains. Truth was she was avoiding fighting and therefore avoiding Daryl who seemed to always be around. It wasn't like she was trying to hurt his feelings or anything, especially not after he hurt her but she just wasn't in the mood to deal with so much today and she wasn't even sure why Daryl wanted to speak to her after everything.

"Thanks. Anyway he came up to me before I got in the R.V and said 'when you see blondie can you - ' and he didn't finish that sentence because Rick came past to check you were in there." Glenn says, Beth purses her lips and shrugs her shoulders as she rests her head on the table. The feeling of being refreshed after a goodnights sleep was suddenly gone and she found herself yawning once more.

"I appreciate you passing on the message but if he asks about me again then just don't answer. I have had enough of fighting to last a life time."

Luckily the Dale starts the engine up before Glenn can say anything else and Beth lets her eyes close just after she sees the map and note left behind on the red car for Morgan. She hear the gently chit chat of Jacqui and Dale in the front and Jim is still snoring, so she know they are still good for now but she still gets up to check on him, all but deflating when she sees the sweat covering his face.

...

Beth is sat in the bedroom still, the wet sponge in her hand as she hears the voices of the group outside talking about what to do with the R.V. She doesn't feel the need to join them, instead she stays with Jim who was awake, speaking to him and telling him stories about her childhood as she gently wipes the sweat from his brow, forcing a smile on her face as he stares up at her.

"Hey Beth." Jim says after a few minutes of silence, he seems confused to see her there like she hadn't been sat there for a while and she guesses the fever is making it hard to know what is really going on. She gives him a gentle smile as she moves the sponger against his neck, he gives her a small content smile bad.

"Hi Jim, you doing ok? Want to go outside? I can ask Rick to bring you out." She keeps her tone light as she speaks, barely a whisper. She knows he probably won't make it, she isn't stupid but she also wants to make this as bearable as she can for him. Putting him outside in the fresh air, letting him cool off a bit so he can go back to sleep might be the best thing for him. He doesn't answer yet, just points at the glass of water on the bedside table and smiles when she holds it to his lips.

"Oh no, Christ. My bones—my bones are like glass. Every little bump, God, this ride is killing me. I’m done. I want to be with my family." Beth freezes as she holds the glass in her hands, staring at Jim in shock. She knows what he is implying, what he is saying but she doesn't know if he does.

"Jim, they passed on. I don’t think you know what you’re asking. The fever - you’ve been delirious more often than not." Beth tries to explain softly but he just lets out a small chuckle.

"I know Beth. Of course I know." He whispers to her softly, his eyes filling up with tears as he reaches out to grab her hand before carrying on. "I’m clear now. In five minutes I may not be. I know what I’m asking of you, how horrible this must seem but I want this. End it for me Beth. Okay? My decision, no one else's choice." If she was shocked a few minutes ago then she didn't have a name for this. What he was asking her wasn't right? It wasn't what her daddy would agree with but in a way it was the moral thing to do...respecting a mans choice. Accepting the responsibility he had placed on her shoulders.

"Jim I can't kill you."

"You won't be killing me Beth, this isn't murder, this is a kindness. I want to end it. I don't want to turn." Jim explained again and Beth couldn't help but agree with him. She knew that even though it felt so wrong, it was right. What else were they going to do? Tie him to a tree and leave him behind to turn? To be one of those monsters? No she couldn't and she wouldn't do that.

"I understand that, I'll go get Rick and you can -"

"No you. I want you to do it, you've been so kind to me. You protected me from everyone and I know you won't be doing it because you think it's right but because it's my choice, I know you respect that." Beth lets out a sniffle as she nods her head. Asking for a couple of minutes well she explains to the group, he gives her a knowing smile and nods his head.

...

"Rick." Beth all but cries as she stumbles out of the R.V and into his arms. Everyone is watching them as he grabs her face in his hands, studying her, moving her hair away from her neck and looking over her arms. She knows what he is doing, what he is checking for but she can't bring herself to assure him that she is fine physically - she's not sure she'll be all that great emotionally when - if she goes through with what Jim has asked her to do.

"What happened? Did he turn? Are you bit?" Glenn is beside her now, checking over her like Rick did, lifting up her ponytail and listing up her arms. Beth takes a step backwards as she rubs her eyes to rid the tears that are threatening to fall.

"No, no he's still alive but he - he wants me to end it for him." The news seems to hit them all like a bomb, crashing down heavily on them as they all stare at her in shock. She knows why, Daryl was perfectly content with doing it yesterday, Rick would do it with honour and Shane - well he probably would too so why ask the girl he has barely spoke to instead of anyone else?

"That's what he says he wants?" Shane asks, as he looks at Beth, hand on his hip and other hand resting on his gun. "He specifically asked for you to end it?"

"And he’s lucid?" Carol adds as she takes a step closer to Beth, eyes wide as she looks back to the R.V and then back to Beth who nods her head. As far as it seemed the man was talking fine and he knew who she was, that seems pretty lucid to her but she knows why Carol is asking. Beth would hate to think she followed through with his request with a doubt that he hadn't been in his right mind at the time.

"He said he is at the moment and he wants it done before he changes his mind."

"Back in the camp when I said Daryl might be right and you shut me down, you misunderstood. I would never go along with callously killing a man. I was just gonna suggest that we ask Jim what he wants and I think we have an answer." Dale says as his wide eyes turn to look at everyone. Beth lets out a scoff and shakes her head.

"Yeah well it's easy for you to say when you're not the one he's asking to kill him." She knows she's being a bit harsh on the old man, knows she's being impolite but Dale doesn't get it. It's easy for him to say things without having to worry about the consequences because he doesn't have to deal with them, he can say listen to Jim, do what Jim says because he's not the one who will have to end that mans life. He gets to mourn the friend without having to see the darker side of things.

"We just kill him? Man, I’m not sure I could live with that." Shane says, it doesn't help her situation. 

"it’s not your call, either one of you." Lori says sharply as she points a finger at her husband too before he opens his mouth, she turns her eyes to Beth and for the first time looks at her with concern. Lori takes a step closer to her and rests her hands on Beth's shoulders, bending down slightly as she speaks. "Beth, you know you don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"I don't want to - but he asked me. If that's what he wants then I'll do it for him."

...

"Jim, do you want this?" Rick asks as he follows Beth into the bedroom, she sits beside him on the chair, reaches out and takes his hand with one of hers. She knows Glenn is stood behind her, can feel the weight of his hand on her shoulder. She knows he will go when the time comes, give her a chance to say goodbye like everyone else had but she also knows the moment it is over he will be her side.

"Yeah, yeah, I want to see my family." Jim says with a smile as he tilts his head at her. The boys make their way out of the room, leaving her alone with Jim as she quickly wipes the sponge over his face one last time. "Lets get this over with shall we." He almost seems excited by the idea but she knows he's scared too.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you Jim." Her voice is shaking as she gripes his hand as tight as she can without hurting him, her other hand pulling the gun out her holster without him seeing.

"Don't be, I wasn't made for this world but you were." He whispers to her, patting her hand gently as his breath becomes more laboured as Beth shakes her head. "Yes you are, you are strong and stubborn and you will not let this world beat you, I know it." His eyes droop slightly as he tries to fight to keep them open. Beth's teeth dig into her bottom lip as she fight back a shaky sob.

"I'm sorry I didn't get to know you better."

"We . Will. Do. In. Another. Life." He breaths out as his hand goes limp in her own hand and his eyes close. He looks almost peaceful, like he is simply sleeping in his bed. Beth knows what she has to do, she doesn't want to but she promised him and if she doesn't do it now then she never will. So she plucks up the last bit of courage and kindness she has left in her and pulls the trigger, ignoring the flesh sound the bullet makes.

Her tears fall fast down her cheeks and her ears are ringing. She knows Glenn is there when he pulls the gun out of her hand, wrapping her up in his arms. Feels the gentle kiss on the top of her head from Rick but if anyone else makes their way inside then she has no idea. Everything feels like too much.

It wasn't fair that she was asked to do this. It's wasn't fair that she felt like she had to do it. Nothing was fair anymore, she had all but killed a man out of 'kindness' - but she had killed a man. Her tears didn't stop and her body was shaking as she tried to rid her head of the horrible imagine and sound of her pulling a trigger against a mans head but no matter how hard she tried it was like it had been burnt into her brain.

...  


They are ten minutes away from the C.D.C when she manages to pull herself from Glenn's arms and stop the tears. The sky is still light but dusk is only a bit away and it feels as though she has been crying for hours. She knows it hasn't been that long, not really but time seems irrelevant at this moment in time anyway. Glenn leads her away from the bedroom, sitting her down across from Andrea and heading to sit next to Dale at the front with a sad smile.

"She couldn't stay in here so I switched places with her." Andrea speaks suddenly, answering Beth's non verbal question of why Jacqui wasn't in the R.V anymore, her eyes had been scanning the places for the older woman. "It's not easy is it, but you did a brave thing today even if it feels like shit now." Andrea adds after a few seconds of silence, her eyes on Beth.

"I killed a man."

"Hey no, no, you did what Jim asked you to do and from what I heard he had already died before you pulled the trigger, you just made sure he didn't come back." Beth doesn't know if that's true, she doesn't know how anyone else would either but she appreciates what Andrea is trying to do even if it doesn't help right now. "I should have done the same with Amy."

"You did what you needed to do." Beth says softly as she plays with a napkin on the table, ripping it into tiny pieces.

"So did you, so don't let yourself feel too bad." Andrea says softly. Beth knows she's right, she knows that she shouldn't feel guilty about what she did but she's a human. A fairly good one at that who held a gun to a mans head and shot even if it was because he asked her too. That was never going to feel right to her. "I never thanked you for what you did for me anyway." Beth is confused now as she looks at Andrea. "You tried to buy us more time when everyone else just watched, you don't know how much that meant to me."

"I'm sorry it wasn't enough." Andrea gives her a watery smile as she reaches out to hold her hand before pulling back and wiping her eyes as the R.V comes to a stop.

"We're here." Dale says to them as he steps out of his chair. Glenn moves past her and into the bedroom, coming back out and handing her her gun before she can even ask where it is. She guesses he doesn't want her to go back in there, not right now anyway, not when she is needed for this.

Beth follows behind Glenn, Andrea behind her as they step out onto the street, the large C.D.C building in front of them, the light is fading slightly but still enough that they can see clearly ahead on them. The vehicles parked all over the place, the millions of flies that seem to be buzzing around them but mainly the smell that has them all doubling over and gagging into their sleeves (which don't smell all that much better).

There are dead bodies everywhere, laid on the floor, some laid on top of each other - military personnel and civilians, in front and behind the sand barricades meant to keep things out. Beth can't help but cough as she walks past them, trying not to stare at the rotting corpses she passes but it's hard when they are everywhere, it makes everyone wary, their guns all seeming to cock at once.

"All right, everybody. Keep moving. Go on. Stay quiet. Let’s go." Shane whispers to them as they carry on moving forward, hands covering their mouths as they move closer and closer to the C.D.C doors. "Okay, keep moving. Stay together. Keep moving. Come on."

"Oh, fuck." Beth whispers as she tries to dodge a body she was walking too close to, her ankle giving out from under her and causing her to trip. Daryl catches her by her elbow before Glenn or Andrea can help her, his strong hands pulling her up with a grunt only to let go of her as Glenn pushes himself between them with a calm face, Beth doesn't miss the glare he sends to Daryl.

More tanks and barriers lay around the entrance, and what seems like more bodies too as they climbed over towards the door, trying to ignore the smell. Even if it is making her want to hurl, the only thing she is focused on now is the security door that Rick can't seem to pull up for the life of him.

"Nothing?" Beth asks as Shane moves forward to join Rick. The pair of them pounding on the door as the sky begins to darken further around them. Soon it will hard to be able to see anything around them, they can't be out here when that happens.

"There’s nobody here." T-Dog hisses as he clutches his gun tightly, turning to look at Rick with a glare.

"Then why are these shutters down?" Rick asks no one in particular, his hands still banging out against the door like it will make it open.

"Walkers!" Daryl says to them. Beth raises her gun between Glenn and Andrea. It's hard to see anything but the more she focuses the more she can see the shapes of people moving closer, their growls growing louder and mixing with the sound of the children whimpering behind them. An arrow flies past them and towards a walker which falls with a thump. "You led us into a graveyard!"

"He made a call." Beth defends Rick but her voice is shaking and the gun in her hand is joining it. She wants nothing more than to carry on defending his choice but right now, staring at the dead walking towards them it feels like she should have just gone off on her own when she had the chance. She might have had more of a chance...but she couldn't leave Rick nor Glenn.

"It was the wrong damn call!" She doesn't know when Glenn moved from her side or how Daryl ended up right beside her but she doesn't even turn to look at him, as she steadies her gun. The one she used with Jim.

"Just shut up. You hear me? Shut up. Shut up! Rick this is a dead end." Shane is saying behind them. Beth feels her eyes fill with tears as she sees the walkers getting closer. Everything sounds so far away to her now, her eyes are just focused on the gun in her hands. The one she used with Jim, the one that ended a mans life with the help of her hands.

Everything is too much and she can practically hear herself shaking, crying and whatever else all at once. No one else seems to focused, they are more concerned about getting out of here before the walkers come and the sky turns pitch black. But Beth is lost in her memory, she wants to curl up into a ball and hide, wants to cry until she can't cry no more. She wants to close her eyes and hope that memory will just fade from her brain so she never has to see it again.

"Girl focus." Daryl is saying beside her but she can't make out the words, his crossbow is raised as he shoots an arrow out of it, shaking her shoulder gently afterwards, his other hand reaching up to gently cup her face as he tries to snap her out of it. "Beth come on, you need to focus right now."

"I know." Beth whispers back. She had wanted him to say her name and now it's just background noise like everyone else. Her gun is raised and the tears are falling down her cheeks as she stares ahead. "I'm ok." She's not sure she is talking to Daryl, assuring him but more so herself as the sound of children crying and people talking are behind her grow louder.

"The camera—it moved." Beth turns around quickly and frowns as Rick speaks, he's pointing at the camera above them.

"You imagined it." Dale says softly.

"Rick, it is dead, man. It’s an automated device. It’s gears, okay? They’re just winding down. Now come on." Shane says as he tries to pull Rick away. Beth sees Glenn back at her side, but she's still focusing on Rick. "Man, just listen to me. Look around this place. It’s dead, okay? It’s dead. You need to let it go, Rick. Rick, there’s nobody there." Rick doesn't listen to Shane as he begins beating on the door.

"I know you’re in there. I know you can hear me." Rick shouts and Beth can't help but feel hopeless. Especially with the growls around them.

"Everybody get back to the cars now!" Shane shouts. Glenn grabs her hand and begins to pull her along but Beth fights. She won't leave Rick behind.

"Please, we’re desperate. Please help us. We have women, children, no food, hardly any gas left." Glenn is moving her again as Rick carries on speaking. She can feel Daryl on her other side ready to lift her up again if he needs to. Lori runs over to Rick.

"Rick, there’s nobody here."

"We have nowhere else to go." Rick says to his wife as he continues pounding on the door. "If you don’t let us in, you’re killing us!" 

"Come on, buddy, let’s go." Shane says as he drags Rick away from the door. "Let’s go."

"Please help us." Rick shouts again. "You’re killing us! Your killing us! Your killing us!"

Everyone stops as the door rolls up, a blinding light beaming from inside. Beth lets out a shocked gasp as Daryl and Glenn let go of her.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was it? Let me know in the comments please. I'm very nervous about this chapter.
> 
> Personally I don't know what to think of Beth killing Jim, not that she did. But I also didn't like the idea of them tying him to a tree - like why the fuck would you do that. Even if he is going to change you also risk the chance of him just being eaten which is horrible. So I gave him a death like Amy, except he doesn't come back because I actually like Jim and I just felt like Beth would do it kindly even if it messes her up in the future - which is already is...she's gonna have some problems.
> 
> Also Daryl is mean. I know but that's how he is season one, he doesn't really change until Sophia but he is a bit. He's there for her still, holding her arm and stuff.
> 
> Thank you for reading. I am very tired so I am going to go to bed and dream of comments that make my big ego feel so much bigger 😁. I'll see you again soon guys. Take care of yourselves and stay safe.


	6. TS-19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello I am back and thank you to all the lovely people commenting.
> 
> I always wanted to say that I didn't realise Daryl got the vest until like end of Season 3 even though that makes sense because it was Merle's - I've just always thought he had it. So in my story he does, the bike is Merle's but the vest is Daryl's. Always looked better on his anyway.
> 
> So here is the next chapter. Last episode of Season 1. Season 2 is where big changes start happening.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter.
> 
> I don't own The Walking Dead.

Beth was a woman of God. It's how she was raised, to believe in the Father and respect his rules, both of God and her actual Father. She wasn't perfect at all and she had failed a few times - and recently she had lost some faith in everything. But staring at that bright light, hearing the cries of people around and the growls of the walkers behind her - well she could feel the hope surging through her veins again.

She didn't care that she was being dragged inside by Glenn and Daryl, she barely noticed it because her eyes were staring everywhere, the bright light in the lobby, the empty large space inside. The sounds of guns cocking around her and the hands letting go of her as she raised her own gun, more so out of instinct.

"Hello?" Rick's voice echo's around them as the sound of a gun cocking further away follows it. The group turn, almost as one, to the tall man in a lab coat with a rifle in his hands, eyes on them.

"Anybody infected?" The man asks as he moves a step closer to them, the rifle gripped even tighter in his hands as he takes in the amount of weapons they all of on them.

"One of our group was. He didn’t make it." Rick says softly, everyone's turning to Beth quickly.

She can't help but fold in on herself slightly, she knows they aren't judging her in the slightest, they are checking she is ok but the thing is she isn't ok. She froze outside when walkers were coming towards them, got lost in her own head and she can feel it happening again. The images of Jim, the gun in her hand, the terrible feeling of ending someone's life even if it was going to end anyway. It makes her whole baby shake and her eyes water, but she has to keep going even if it means pushing it away for now, until she can be alone.

"Why are you here? What do you want?" 

"A chance." Rick says. Beth can't help but think the man is being rather rude - they want what everyone wants these days. Somewhere safe where they don't have to be on guard all the time and they don't have to lose anymore people. It's stupid of him to even ask that question.

"That’s asking an awful lot these days." The man says and they all know it is. To ask someone to take them in, to just expect it with everything going on is almost too much these days but the man is sighing and lowering his weapon. "You all submit to a blood test. That’s the price of admission."

"We can do that." Rick answers for them all.

"You got stuff to bring in, you do it now. Once this door closes it stays closed." The man explains to them. The group rush around her but she stays where she is, feeling frozen to the spot as she stares at the man. It doesn't take the group long to come back in and to follow the man towards the elevator. "VI, seal the main entrance. Kill the power up here." The man says as the doors begin to close with a rattle, beeps and doors heard closing from where they were just stood.

"Rick Grimes." Rick says as he holds out his hand with a kind smile, the man looking down at it before he turns away and looks towards the closed doors.

"Doctor. Edwin Jenner." He speaks as he reaches forward to press a button, the elevator humming around them as it begins it descent.

"Doctors always go around packing heat like that?" Beth feels her cheeks begin to burn as she feels Daryl's voice practically rumble against her back. The elevator isn't huge and they are a big group which means Glenn had pushed her into Daryl the moment they entered and proceeded to lean his head on her shoulder with a yawn of fake tiredness. She knows what he is doing.

"There were plenty left lying around. I familiarized myself. But you look harmless enough." Jenner says with a smirk (everyone knows Daryl looks more than harmless) before he turns to Carl. "Except you, I’ll have to keep my eye on you." Carl smiles at him as Jenner chuckles. The smile on his face dies quickly as the elevator opens.

He leads them down into a hallway, their shoes clicking against the ground, reminding Beth just how worn her own feet feel at this moment, and how her cowgirl boots that she loved so much were stained with blood and other things. It's not different than anyone else's attire, Glenn's trainers are one more run away from breaking though at least the blood is disguised by his already red trainers.

"Are we underground?" Carol asks as Beth looks up from staring at Glenn's feet like some foot-fetish maniac. Jenner sends a smirk Carol's way, it's not pleasant or joking, it seems wrong. Like he is enjoying the way Carol seems slightly panicked. 

"Are you claustrophobic?"

"A little." Carol admits, as she reaches down to clutch Sophia's hand, giving Jenner a glare that would have anyone else running for the hills in tears.

"Try not to think about it." Jenner says as they enter a large dark space. "VI, bring up the lights in the big room." Jenner calls to seemingly no one as he leads them into a big room, the sound of beeping is heard followed by lights turning on. It's the sort of room Beth had only ever seen in pictures, the computers everywhere and the large screen on the wall. "Welcome to Zone 5."

"Are there no other doctors here with you?" Beth asks as she moves to one of the desks, her hands running over the little trinkets the person had kept there. Their own little space in this large room. She turns to look at Jenner, eyes wide as she waits for him to respond to her question or waits for someone else to come out into the room with a smile and a better greeting for them.

"It’s just me here." Well that's just fucking shit. One man left in the C.D.C - all alone down here for whoever knows how long until they came along.

"What about the person you were speaking with? VI?" Lori asks with a frown as she looks around, waiting for whoever this VI was to appear but Jenner just laughs slightly and looks up.

"VI, say hello to our guests. Tell them… Welcome."

"Hello, guests. Welcome." Beth's mouth falls open as the voice of a computer woman echo's around them. So there was no one else here with him, no one but a robot and now them if he would let them join him. To be honest though there was something about him that Beth couldn't trust, like he was hiding something from them. Whatever it was they would figure it out.

"I’m all that’s left. I’m sorry." What a disappointment.

...

Needles had never been a thing Beth was afraid of.

When she was younger and her mother had taken her and her siblings for injections Beth had always been the most calm. Maggie, brave strong Maggie who fear nothing and no one - the eldest of the siblings, always had to hold onto someone, she'd scrunch up her face and cry until it was over. Shawn wasn't much better, his bottom lip would shake and his legs would kick out. But not little Bethany Greene, no she would climb onto the chair, hold out her arm and wait until it was over then flash a bright smile to the nurse. It was always the one thing she had against her sibling.

She was glad she was still the same now as she sat in the chair, almost bored with a needle in her arm, watching her blood flow into the little glass vile. "What's your name?" Jenner asked suddenly as Beth frowned.

"Beth."

"Hm. Who are these people to you?" Jenner asked and Beth felt her frown deepen, she didn't understand why he was asking her that question - if he had even asked anyone else that question.

"Does that matter anymore?" Beth asked back, Jenner looked at her, his eyes cold as he nodded his head. Beth frowned, she didn't know what answer to give him, how was she supposed to even explain this group to someone or the story of how they got together. "Friends, I suppose, people I care for - maybe even a strange family. They mean something to me." Beth explained slowly, she could feel the eyes of the group on her.

"Why you even asking them questions, Doc?" Beth heard Daryl ask from where he was sat behind her, she could almost see him glaring coldly at the man before her.

"I just wanted to make sure that no one is being forced here against their will." 

"Fucking dick - "

"Really?" Beth asks, annoyance growing inside her as Jenner extracts the needle from her arm. She doesn't move away from the chair as she grabs her own cotton pad and holds it over the tiny prick. "I appreciate the concern but no one in this group is here against their will - we can leave if we want to." Beth says to him as she pushes herself away from the chair with a glare, moving to sit herself beside Rick.

She can understand why he would feel the need to ask her. This group was filled with people who clearly shared no relation - had come in holding ammo and Beth was also being held by two men. Jenner just didn't realise they were holding her so she didn't end up getting herself killed by a walker to try and stay with Rick. He doesn't ask any more questions as Andrea sat herself down and held out her arm.

"What’s the point? If we were infected, we’d all be running a fever." Andrea says when the silence in the room gets far too tense. Daryl is glaring at Jenner, Rick looks conflicted and is refusing to look at Lori for whatever reason and Beth...well she feels exhausted. Her head is resting on Glenn's shoulder and she is fighting the sleep that keeps trying to take over her body.

"I’ve already broken every rule in the book letting you in here. Let me just at least be thorough." Jenner says to Andrea who nods her head, but she's gone pale and looks shaky. "All done." Andrea stands, letting out a noise as she stumbles, landing in the arms of Jacqui while Jenner watches her in concern.

"She hasn’t eaten in days. None of us have." Jacqui explains. Beth knows it's an exaggeration because they shared a couple of cans around the fire last night but none of them have had a real meal in a while. One that would fill them up and leave them content that they wouldn't have to scavenge for food for the rest of the evening, practically licking the empty cans for any morsel of food. 

...

Beth had forgotten how good pasta with marinara sauce tasted until she was practically moaning when the flavours hit her tongue. It's hard not to shovel it down but she manages to eat it slow, enjoying the simple flavours on her tongue and almost dancing in her seat as everyone eats and laughs around her. She knows she should be focused on the conversation but the food is too good and she's never been a big talker when she's eating.

"You know, in Italy, children have a little bit of wine with dinner. And in France." Dale says, catching Beth's attention as she reaches out for the glass in front of her and holding it out. Her father would have killed her if he saw her now, it the one rule of his that she had obeyed by but he wasn't here and the wine was being passed about rather fast. She was going to take her chance while she could.

"Well, when Carl and Beth are in Italy or France, they can have some then." Lori says but Beth just rolls her eyes. Lori was not her mother, she did not make decisions for her. Not when she had spent the better part of their time together glaring at her and even threatening her.

"Why am I getting lumped with the kids? Last I checked I was an adult. " Beth says sweetly as Dale gives her a cheeky grin and finally fills up her glass. She smiles back and sends him a wink, throwing half of the glass down her throat and fighting the urge to wince as it burns down her throat. She had had sips of wine at church, obviously when it was allowed but it had been a sip and nothing more.

"What’s it gonna hurt? Come on. Come on." Rick tries to convince his wife with an easy smile. Clearly they are over whatever had been bugging him before as he hands Dale a glass and smiles when it is handed back to Carl.

"There you are, young lad." Everyone turns to watch Carl as he lifts the glass up with both hands, his face scrunching up as he takes a tiny sip, placing the glass back on the table with a shake of his head as everyone lets out chuckles.

"That’s my boy. That’s my boy. Good boy." Lori pats his head as she speaks, reaching forward for his glass and pouring it into her own. Beth doesn't want to be a bitch but she has a feeling that isn't the first time Lori has done that with someone's wine, it's the reason she is keeping her glass close to her chest and sipping it with vigour. 

"Stick to soda there, bud." Shane says as he hands Carl over a coke with an easy smile.

"Not you, Glenn." Daryl rasps out as he moves around the table pouring wine into Glenn's glass with what actually looks like a smile. "Keep drinking, little man. I want to see how red your face can get." Beth rolls her eyes and sips her wine again.

"Yeah Glenn, if you drink enough then you might be able to catch up with Daryl's little red ears." Beth jokes harshly as Daryl turns to look at her, his hand coming up to rub at his ears. She knows she should just ignore him or move on from the harsh words he had thrown at her but the urge to tease him, especially with a bit of wine in her system, is quite strong. And if she's honest she finds his blushing ears adorable.

"Alright blondie, calm down and drink your wine." Daryl says with a roll of his eyes, but the side of his mouth is curving up slightly as he throws his hand in the air in fake annoyance.

"Happily." Beth says as she grins at him brightly, downing the rest of her wine and holding out her glass for Daryl to refill, which he does. He looks slightly content that she is speaking to him again, his eyes avoiding her but there is a small smile on his face. "Thank you." Beth says softly as she takes another sip from her wine, slapping her lips together afterwards.

"Whatever, I'd go easy unless you want to be throwing up on Glenn." He jokes with her as he leans against the wall, the bottle of wine in his hand as he takes a rather large sip from it, still avoiding Beth's eyes and instead focusing on Glenn beside her who lets out a rather loud scoff.

"You poured her wine so you can deal with her tonight, Dixon." Glenn says with a grin as he points at Daryl, sending him a wink. "Tuck her into bed and give her a goodnight kiss." Beth splutters over her wine and Daryl's ears turn bright red, his mouth falling open slightly as he tries to think of something to say. Glenn just sits laughing over his wine, nudging Beth's shoulders.

"Lets just be clear, no one is giving me a goodnight kiss or anything - not unless I say so." Beth clarifies as she sees Daryl shake his head and move away from them, his ears still bright red and his head hung low.

"Are you saying you don't want Daryl to give you a goodnight kiss?" Glenn whispers beside her, giggling slightly as he downs his wine, Beth copying him and allowing him to fill their glasses back up. She has no idea if three glass of wine is enough to get drunk but she can feel the alcohol in her veins, the light feeling that is coming with drinking. And judging by the way her and Glenn are throwing down their glasses like it's juice, it won't be long before they are drunk.

"I never said that." Beth whispers to Glenn as she licks the remaining wine off her lips, leaning into Glenn's shoulder and letting out a giggle. He looks at her shocked, his eyes a bit shiny and starting to glaze over.

"Oh my god! Really?!" It almost feels like she is gossiping with Maggie again, the way Glenn is practically fanning his face and looking around. Beth follows his gaze, she can hear Rick giving a speech behind them but she can't focus on it. "I knew it! I fucking knew it!" He says it a bit loud as people send them looks but Beth just giggles.

"He has nice lips." Beth admits as she feels her face flare up. Glenn giggles beside her but then his face turns serious as he finishes his wine.

"I thought I had the nicest lips."

"Glenn, you are lovely and kind but I do not in any way want to kiss you." Beth says as she sips her wine, holding out her hand to his face as he scoffs. It's suddenly warm in here, maybe because a certain pair of eyes keep looking her way, or because of the alcohol but she can't help but fan her face and fiddle with her jumper.

"Here’s to you, Doc, booyah!" The two jump as they hear Daryl shout, quickly raising their glasses and toasting their host before looking back to each other.

"There's your man." Glenn whispers in her ear as he sips his wine, his cheeks have turned a lovely red and his hat is now on the table as Beth fights to roll her eyes but there is a small smile on her face. "Well he will be once he apologises and has my permission." Glenn adds as he glares at Daryl slightly.

"What are you my daddy now?"

"What - you know Beth you are giving me mixed signals so I'll make it clear for you - I am not interested but I am flattered." Glenn jokes as he holds up his hand to her face and leans away from her. Beth lets out a little giggle as she leans back in her chair, snorting slightly as she drinks her wine.

"You two winos done gossiping?" The two look up in shock to see Daryl stood across from them, narrowed eyes flicking between the two glasses as Glenn and Beth let out another laugh. She has no idea what is funny, the fact that her and Glenn were sat in a corner gossiping like her mother would with the ladies from church or the fact that they are been called out by a slightly tipsy Daryl Dixon.

"So when are you gonna tell us what the Hell happened here, Doc? All the - the other doctors that were supposed to be figuring out what happened, where are they?" Shane asks suddenly and nothing seems funny anymore. Instead it brings Beth back to the reality - they sat here drinking wine and eating pasta like all the shit that had happened in the past few days was just figments of their imagination.

"We’re celebrating, Shane. Don’t need to do this now." Rick whispers to his best friend, well talks as quietly as he can.

"Whoa, wait a second. This is why we’re here, right? This was your move - supposed to find all the answers. Instead we - " Shane speaks with a harsh laugh, one that sounds fake and sarcastic. He points to Jenner as he carries on speaking, clearly angry with their situation. " - we found him. Found one man, why?"

"Well, when things got bad, a lot of people just left, went off to be with their families. And when things got worse, when the military cordon got overrun, the rest bolted." Jenner explains as though it is obvious. He seems like the only person who isn't effected by the wine in his glass, his cheeks are far from red and his eyes are as clear as a cloudless day.

"Every last one?" Shane asks, he leans further onto the table, the glass of wine in his hand tipping dangerously but it's his eyes that draw Beth in. The are angry, clouded and filled with rage with something that Beth can't figure out. She doesn't get it, sure they aren't in the best situation but they have food and drinks, a place to sleep and doors to keep the dead out - surely everything they are discussing can be done when everyone isn't six? (fuck) finished bottles of wine on the table and more going around.

"No, many couldn’t face walking out the door. They… opted out. There was a rash of suicides. That was a bad time."

"You didn’t leave. Why?" Andrea asks gently. She, much like Jenner, seems pretty sober - the sadness still lingering in her eyes and in her body even more prominent as they discuss these things.

"I just kept working, hoping to do some good." Jenner says softly, he blinks away tears as he lifts up his wine glass and pours the liquid down his throat in one smooth and familiar motion. No one speaks for the time being, all focused on the heavy shit that had just been onloaded onto them.

"Dude, you are such a buzz kill, man." Glenn says with a scoff at Shane as he too finishes his wine and send the man a glare.

"You really brought down the mood." Beth backs him up as she straightens her back, shaking her own head and pushing away her plate of mostly finished food. She can't bring herself to finish it, her appetite fully gone as the discussion. Fucking Shane, can't just let them have one night without bringing up shit they don't want to think about right now.

...

When Beth had been younger she had never understood the appeal of drinking, the way people described it and how it made them feel just didn't sound real. Not after all the horror stories she had heard from her mother and Maggie about how her father used to be. And she had been around people while they drank, sipped on soda as they had the times of their lives - it was the rule she had obeyed fully.

Until today.

At first it had been great, she had understood why her friends had drank nearly every weekend. It had numbed the panic and guilt flooding through her veins, made her mind slow down and think simpler but then it started to wear off the moment she stepped into the hot shower. The hot water washing not only washing the collected dirt off her but the alcohol fog she had too.

The memories she had been fighting so hard to keep locked away all came flooding back. 

_"Jim, you can't ask Beth to do this - it's not right." Beth was right on Rick's tail as he all but barged into the R.V, anger on his face. He didn't seem to care what Lori had said or what she had said and neither did Shane as he followed behind them with his own glare, practically pushing Beth out of the way as he stood over the mans bed._

_"I can because I trust her. She reminds me of my wife." Jim explained weakly with a smile as his eyes landed on Beth, looking at her as though she was someone else. It made sense and she understood that but she wasn't his wife. She was barely an adult who had now landed herself in a shit situation. "So kind, pretty and pure."_

_"That's the reason you can't ask her to do this Jim, she's just a girl." Shane says with a glare - Beth doesn't know whether to be offended or not but she pushes it away. She can speak to everyone later about being called a little girl. "Can you imagine how traumatic this would be for her?"_

_"Hm." Jim moans out as he tries to move on the bed, his hand coming up to his side before he looks at her again. "I trust her, I want her to do it."_

_"Jim that isn't a reason to put someone through this much trauma." Great now Dale has joined them. Beth likes Dale but she doesn't think he has a say in this - doesn't think anyone has a say in this. It's her choice, they have to realise that and give her a chance to say yes or no to things. It's not like Jim is pressuring her with a gun to his head._

_"I want my wife to be the last thing I see before I go - it's a lot to ask but I know Beth will do this kindness for me because of who she is." Beth feels her eyes fill with tears, Jim didn't even really know her but he trusted her with this. "Just let me see my wife." Jim whispers out, a tear rolling down his cheek. Beth doesn't know if he asking them to hurry up or he thinks she is his wife but it's enough to clench her heart._

_"It's what he wants."_

_"Is it what you want, girl?" Daryl asks, Beth turns to frown at him, she didn't even know he had joined them in this tiny bedroom. She doesn't even really want to answer him._

_"No. Beth I can't let you do this, you can sit by him and hold his hand if you want, I'll do what he's asked." Rick whispers to her as he shakes his head, his hands resting on his hips and his eyes on her. Beth gets that he wants to protect her from any trauma but surely watching a man die in front of her eyes with his hand in hers will be enough trauma as it is._

_"Rick I appreciate everything you have done for me so far, you've taken care of me and I get why you are trying to do it now. I know you want to protect me but you can't do that forever. This won't be the first time this happens - it's something everyone of use will probably have to deal with at some point." Beth says as everyone looks to her. "He wants his wife, if I remind him of her, if I give him comfort then who am I to deny him one last act of kindness."_

_"We could ask Andrea - "_

_"Andrea has been through enough, she just had to do this to her sister, we can't ask her to do this Jim too. I know what I have to do and I know I'll probably be a bit messed up afterwards so what I need from you is to just be there for me. Can you do that?" Beth asks softly. She knows Andrea looks like her slightly, how she would probably fill the role fine but Jim did not ask for Andrea. He asked her to do this and who was she to deny the last thing he asked._

_"Of course, of course I can Beth - but I still - "_

_"I know but it's not your choice to make. I know I can do this and so I'll do it for Jim - please don't try to stop me. None of you." Beth adds, cutting over Rick as she turns to look at the men around her. Dale is frowning but he nods his head, Shane looks unbothered now but it's Daryl and Rick that are looking at her unsure as they nod at her._

  
Well she had reaped what she sowed.

All she could see was Jim now, the last words he spoke to her, his last breath and the blood that had been left on the pillow once he had been moved out of the bedroom. It was something she would have to live with - like it had been burned onto the back of her eyeballs.

A sob left her mouth as she slumped down the wall, her legs folding under her and her hands coming up to cover her ears as she tried to block out the happy sounds of everyone else. She could have been like them, asked someone else to deal with it and having the time of her life right now but that would mean someone else would be in her position. How could she ever do that to someone else?

...

It didn't take long for Beth to find a mostly full bottle of wine and make her way to the rec room well everyone else headed to their respected bedrooms for the night. Personally she wasn't ready to climb into some unfamiliar bed and sleep - not with the amount of problems that would be joining them tomorrow - no she wanted to sit on the sofa and drink her wine. It seems though someone else has the same idea. "I never knew being drunk could be like this."

"Never got lit before?" He asks as he moves to sit beside her, a bottle of whisky in his hand. His hair is wet and messy, and she's pretty sure he is wearing the same clothes as earlier but she's finding it a bit hard to focus on things right now so she can't be too sure.

"No, daddy didn't allow that sort of stuff in his house, had a problem with it when he was younger." Beth explains, Daryl nods, reading into the words without her having to even say what the problem was. "Maggie always found a way around it though."

It made her smile to remember the times her sister would climb into her room to avoid the creaky steps, waking Beth up in the process. There was always a giant smile on her face and her breath always smelt like some form of alcohol as she climbed into bed beside Beth, not wanting to risk their father hearing her go into her room. It was one of the other reasons why Beth didn't want to drink - not if she ended up like her sister. 

"Guessing you were the goody two-shoes sister then." Daryl teases her gently as he raises the bottle to his lips, his eyes on her.

"Not at all, just better at not getting caught and even better at playing innocent." Beth says back as he looks away. Batting her big old eyes had always worked on her daddy, gotten her out of a lot of stuff that Maggie would have been ground for, briefly she wonders if that would work on Daryl anytime but he had a hard time looking at her as it was.

"Yeah you got that look about you." Daryl mutters, Beth doesn't think she is supposed to hear it but she does. She suddenly has the urge to show him she isn't as innocent as she looks. "Didn't even think you were old enough to drink."

"I'm not in the US being eighteen an' all, but I am legal to drink in other countries." Beth protests. She always been aware that she looked younger than she was, the big eyes, curls and skinny body gave her the look of a fifteen year old. Her mother had always said she would be grateful for that in the future. "I also don't think that rule applies anymore."

"Well you do have a cop in your back pocket."

"Hm." Beth lets out as she nods her head, sliding down on the sofa so her back isn't as straight and running her fingers through her curling hair as she turns to stare at him. "How was your hot shower?"

"Great until I heard people getting their jollies off." Beth can't help but cough as she drinks her wine, patting her chest as it goes down the wrong hole. Daryl blushes as he looks at her, Beth can't help but laugh. He looks so worried of what he might have said like he would expect her to be disgusted but honestly she finds it funny.

"I suppose you got to do what you got to do. It's been a few weeks for some people." Nearing three months for her she thinks and it wasn't like her sex life before that was consistent. A handful of times with Jimmy before he ditched her but she's still human and that urge lingers in her blood, especially now.

"I bet Glenn would be more than willing to help you." Daryl says after a second like he knows exactly what she was thinking, but then he turns red again and Beth lets out a laugh. That wasn't exactly who she was thinking of, but she could get why other people seemed to think something was going on between them.

"Don't know what your obsession with me and Glenn is but I can tell you right now that I will never ever be asking Glenn for sex - he's been like my brother." Beth says with a chuckle, and before she can even stop herself her lose tongue carries on speaking. "There is only one man here in this group that I am attracted too but even then I will not be asking him for sex." Her cheeks burn as she realises what she has admitted, even if she didn't say a name she has a feeling that Daryl will know who she is talking about.

"It's not Rick is it?" Daryl asks suddenly, almost worriedly as he looks at her. Beth doesn't know what has come over him, prying into her love life, but she can't help but chuckle again as she sips from her wine bottle, which seems to be vanishing quite fast.

"No. Never. If Glenn is my brother then so is Rick."

"Well I ain't going through the list of people." Daryl says as he takes a long gulp from his own bottle, ears a bright red. Beth can't help but wonder - there are only four men left in the group and one of them is her fathers age. She just nods her head in agreement, with the way her brain is acting tonight it would not be a good idea unless she wanted to admit something or upset him again or be rejected.

"Look new socks." He raises an eyebrow at her oddly matched socks that are now on his lap. She sounds like a child, she knows she does but Jenner had told them they could raid what the other people had left which means for the first time in a good while she has new underwear and it's thrilling to her. Her feet were grateful to have finally been freed from her boots and the socks that seemed to become a second skin, stuck to her feet by the blood and wounds she had them. 

"Pretty." Daryl says under his breath, his eyes flicking to her face before settling back on the feet she had yet to move from his lap. "How you doing with everything?"

Beth doesn't answer as the flood of emotions hits her like a tsunami. The wine bottle is on her lips and she drinks the bitter liquid, tears stinging her eyes as she tries her best not to think about Jim. It's hard but she manages to lock away the memories and pull the wine bottle from her lips as she looks down at her lap deciding what she should say.

"Did I do the right thing - with Jim?" She finally asks when the silence seems to have gone on far too long and the alcohol has gone down a bit more. Its strange how she can feel both drunk and stone cold sober in this moment.

"You did what he asked you to do."

"But was it the right thing? You were so eager to do it earlier on and I stopped you, maybe I shouldn't have stopped you." Beth says. It would have been easier but then everyone would have hated Daryl, more so than they already do for whatever reason. Would he have had the same trauma she has? Would it have effected him the same way? She has a feeling it would have done but he wouldn't have let them see.

"I wasn't eager, I was just doing what needed to be done. Difference been if I had done then Jim would have probably been a lot more scared, last thing he would see was coming towards him." Daryl explains to her lowly. There is a frown on his face as he plays with the bottle in his hands and then he looks at her softly, his voice matching the look on his face. "At least with you it was gentle and kind, it was what he wanted."

"Am I always going to feel like this?" Beth asks, she appreciates his words but she can't help but ask. "Like my head isn't on straight because all I think about or picture is what I did. Is me killing Jim." She adds when she sees the confused expression on his face.

"What you talking about girl? You didn't kill Jim, you saved him from becoming one of those things - and well it may suck now, you'll see it eventually."

"I'm sorry." Daryl looks confused again so she elaborates. "For what I said...it wasn't true." Daryl looks shocked at her words, like he can't believe that she would be apologising to him.

"Pretty sure I should be the one saying that to you." He says with a cough as he takes a sip from his whisky again. Beth admits he probably should be saying sorry too, he did spew some pretty hurtful things at her and even if they are talking fine now what he had said to her had hurt a lot.

"Are you going to?" She asks with a teasing smile as she rests her head on the arm rest, pushing her feet across his lap, he looks down at them, the sides of his mouth ticking up slightly, his hands move around like he isn't sure where to put them so he settles for crossing them across his chest.

"'m sorry 'bout what I said." Beth doesn't ask him to elaborate, instead she settles for giving him a large grin. For what she has learnt about Daryl throughout their short time together, he is not the sort of man who seems to be able to admit he is sorry - not that that's a bad thing but she likes that he feels like he can do that with her.

"How many tattoos do you have?" Beth asks suddenly, the mood changing between them and that giddy feeling she had before coming back. Daryl turns to look at her with a frown, looking down at his arms. "Saw one peeking out of the back of shirt. Couldn't figure out what it was and thought I would ask." Beth explains quickly before she shrugs her shoulders and takes the last sip of her wine. "No need to be ashamed, I have a tattoo too."

"You being serious, girl? Never had a drink but you've got a tattoo? Strange girl." Beth can't help but laugh. It wasn't something she had been expecting to guess but on her eighteenth birthday when her friends wanted to go out and drink and Beth had come up with a different idea to distract them. Hence the tattoo she now had.

"Yeah, you can look if you want, it's just a little thing on my shoulder." Daryl looks at her, eyes going wide as she sits herself up and begins to turn.

"Ah...I believe ya."

They sit and chat for a while longer, just about random things from their life before - nothing that brought up their siblings. Little things about themselves that Beth could store away in her brain and keep for another day like she had done with Glenn. Not long after she felt her eyes begin to close, curling up slightly on her side, feet still in his lap and just before she drifted off she felt a warm weight rest on them making a small smile form on her lips. It didn't take her long after that to drift off into dreamland.

...

People always complained about hangovers. Beth had always thought it was bullshit until she woke up the next morning.

Rick had stumbled into the rec room, causing her to jump up slightly and turn to look at him. That turned out to be the wrong move as her head throbbed painfully, her stomach turned and her eyes were forced to shut against the bright light. Daryl wasn't asleep at the other end of the sofa, hadn't been for a while judging by the cold space her feet rested on but he had covered her with a blanket, something she wanted to curl under at this moment but was unable too as Rick announced breakfast.

"Hello." Beth pats Rick as she passes him, pushing away the urge to vomit as she moves past everyone with a floppy wave before sitting herself between Glenn, who is laid on the table, and Carl who seems to be the most awake in the room.

"Are you hung over? Mom said you’d be." Carl whispers beside her, but he might as well be yelling because his voice is now ringing in her ears. Beth lets out a groan as she moves to rest her head on Glenn's back, slapping away the hand Carl seems to determined to poke her with.

"Mom is right." Rick mutters as he sits on the other side of Carl, a small laugh coming out of his mouth. "Leave her alone or she might vomit on you." Beth lets out a soft groan at his words but it seems to have done the trick because Carl has stopped poking her for the moment and the throbbing has eased since she closed her eyes.

"Eggs. Powdered, but—but I do ‘em good." T-Dog says, far too loudly and incredibly cheerful for a man who was falling asleep at the table the night before, his wine ending up on the floor. Glenn groans from beneath her as Beth opens one eye slightly. "I bet you can't tell."

"If anything is going to make me throw up then it's that." Beth rasps out as T-Dog serves some eggs onto the plates in front of them, her stomach turning at the smell of them and Glenn groaning below her, his head lifting slightly as he looks at the plate before it falls back onto the table with a soft thump. There are chuckles around them, mainly from Dale who seems far too amused with the situation.

"Protein helps the hangover." T-Dog says again as Jacqui gently moves Beth off Glenn, her head falling to the other side to rest on Carls shoulder. Glenn moaning again as the sound of someone shaking something rings through their ears.

"Where’d all this come from?" Beth hears Rick ask as she opens her eyes slightly to see him holding a bottle of something. She gags slightly as Carl brings a fork full of eggs to her mouth, pushing it away and fighting the urge to close her eyes despite the pain stabbing her in the eyes now.

"Jenner." Lori says with a small smile as she takes the bottle from Rick and opens it for him, taking two out and placing them in front of Beth and Glenn. "He thought that some of us would need it since he caught them taking bottles to their rooms." Beth lets out another groan as she pulls herself off Carls shoulder, grabbing the tablet and placing it in her mouth, swallowing it with a grimace as she pulls Glenn up to do the same. He swallows his tablet and falls back to the table.

"Don’t ever ever ever let me drink again." He mumbles, face hidden by his arms and hat lopsided on his head. A sigh leaves his mouth as he pushes himself onto his elbow.

"Deal, providing you never let me drink again." Last night was full of ups and downs. She had enjoyed speaking to Glenn and Daryl, mainly Daryl but last night could have gone another way if Daryl had worded his questions different ways - she could have ended up frozen with her trauma or ended up confessing that she thinks he's pretty good looking and she wouldn't mind fooling around with him.

"Hey. Feel as bad as we do?" Beth looks up at Rick's question to see Shane walking into the room, head bowed low as he heads towards the coffee pot and cups without even saying anything.

"Worse." Shane mumbles. He doesn't look hungover or as bad as she feels which makes her feel he isn't talking about hangover and instead something else that might have happened when they were all having a laugh.

"What the Hell happened to you? Your neck?" T-Dog asks shocked as Beth narrows her eyes and tries to focus on Shane. There are scratch marks on his neck and fail, the sort someone's nails make. Something she was familiar with as Maggie had a habit of fighting with her hands, which Beth had tons of experience of what a nail scratch looks like.

"I must have done it in my sleep." What a lie. Shane looks away, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Never seen you do that before." Rick says lowly. Beth has never seen anyone scratch themselves on the neck while they are sleeping, let alone their head - but hey to each their own. She doesn't know what goes on in peoples bedrooms and her father had taught her not to judge people.

"Me neither." Shane says looking to Lori with a frown. Lori pays him no mind, her head bent over as she carries on eating her eggs as though nothing has happened. "Not like me at all."

"Morning." Jenner says softly as he enters the room, same lab coat on and a determined look in his eyes. He pours himself a coffee and sits himself down, not saying anything else as everyone looks at him waiting for him to say something or explain something. 

"I don’t mean to slam you with questions first thing - "

"But you will anyway." Jenner says cutting off Dale before he can go any further with his questions. Jenner doesn't speak again as he picks at the eggs on his place, giving them nothing like they had expected the moment he spoke. It's almost like he doesn't want to tell them anything for whatever reason, a reason that Beth can't figure out because her head is still pounding.

"We didn’t come here for the eggs." Andrea says softly. Understatement of the year, Beth thinks as she places a small forkful of the eggs in her mouth with a grimace, it was rubbery and sticking to the roof of her mouth and she honestly was doing her best to not gag or throw them back up. Surely there has to be something else in here that they can eat.

...

It seems like it takes forever to move from the kitchen and to the big room. Beth's legs are struggling to hold her up and the thought of laying back on that comfy sofa with the warm blanket seems so much better than sitting and listening to whatever Jenner wanted to say to them. But everyone is following him, even Glenn who seems to be struggling just as much as her.

It's the reason why the two of them sit down the moment they enter the room, the medicine only doing so much for their hangover but the thought of sitting down on a comfy chair doing so much more.

"Give me a playback of TS-19." Jenner says as he moves to stand ahead of them, staring at the giant screen behind them as beeps are heard echoing throughout the room, VI repeating his command back to them. "Few people ever got a chance to see this. Very few." A video begins playing on the screen, filled with numbers among other things that Beth doesn't really understand but she knows she is staring at human skulls.

"Is that a brain?" Beth hears Carl ask behind her.

"An extraordinary one. Not that it matters in the end." Jenner says, a small smile on his face. He looks down before speaking again. "Take us in for E.I.V."

The video changes to show the upper half of a body, an MRI of the brain. It's so strange to see, the brain all lit up bright blue like a light, smaller brighter lights flitting around is like little fireflies, as the video zooms, in a way that amazes Beth. She has no clue what it is or what is happening but she can't help the wonder that runs through her, the urge to reach up and touch the video like it might give her some answer as to what she's looking at.

"What are those lights?" Shane asks softly when no one else speaks, all seeming amazed by the video in front of them.

"It’s a person’s life - experiences, memories. It’s everything. Somewhere in all that organic wiring, all those ripples of light, is you - the thing that makes you unique and human." Jenner explains as Beth pushes herself to sit up straighter. Staring at all those pretty lights on the screen, it's hard to believe they carried everything. Those are synapses. Electric impulses in the brain that carry all the messages. They determine everything a person says does or thinks from the moment of birth to the moment of death." Jenner explains when it's clear not many people understood what he was talking about.

"Death? That’s what this is, a vigil?" Rick asks slowly, he sounds shocked and slightly disgusted.

"Yes. Or rather the playback of the vigil."

"Who was this person?" Beth can't help but ask. The person who was recorded dying - was it one of the members of staff? Was it someone who had just been bitten? She had so many questions to ask but only one left her mouth, the others just stayed swirling around in her head.

"Test subject 19. Someone who was bitten and infected… and volunteered to have us record the process. VI, Scan forward to the first event." Jenner answers her like he knew exactly what she was thinking. Beth can't help but stare at the screen as it fast forwards like a movie, the brain darkening slightly, the lights dimming around it.

"What is that?" Glenn asks from beside her.

"It invades the brain like meningitis. The adrenal glands haemorrhage, the brain goes into shutdown, then the major organs. Then death. Everything you ever were or ever will be…gone." Jenner says. Beth's eyes sting with tears as she thinks about how life is just snuffed into existence, no more memories - like you never existed. Just a host from the virus taking over.

"Is that what would have happened to Jim?" Sophia asks gently, Beth can't even look at her. Can't even look at anyone, her body is plagued with guilt - her own personal virus attacking her whenever it feels like it, reminding her of what she did even if it was out of kindness. Her body aches and her teeth feel like they are clenching together as she fights to stop herself from sinking into a dark place. She did what Jim had asked of her,

"She lost somebody two days ago. Her sister." Lori says to Jenner as Beth looks up, her eyes drifting to Andrea who is crying into her hands, refusing to look up.

"I lost somebody too. I know how devastating it is." It would be more convincing if Jenner didn't say it like a robot, void of any emotion. "Scan to the second event." Jenner says not two seconds later. "The resurrection times vary wildly. We had reports of it happening in as little as three minutes. The longest we heard of was eight hours. In the case of this patient, it was two hours, one minute… seven seconds."

Beth doesn't even know how long it took Amy to change, but it seemed more than eight hours. Her eyes go wide as she stares at the screen, watching the once brightly coloured brain was black with a few random sparks shooting out from the red stem area but the blue lights never came back no matter how long she stared.

"It restarts the brain?" Beth can't help but ask as she turns to look at Jenner.

"No, just the brain stem. Basically it gets them up and moving." Jenner explains, he takes a quick look around the room and then carries on speaking. "Dark, lifeless, dead. The frontal lobe, the neocortex, the human part - that doesn’t come back. The you part. Just a shell driven by mindless instinct." 

Beth doesn't know if that makes her feel any better, a slight bit of weight has been lifted off her shoulder as she knows Jim will never be that thanks to her but it's hard to disconnect it. It's hard not to see a living and breathing person in front of her suddenly gone because of the trigger she pulled, even if she knows now what would come of him.

She doesn't get much time to think on it as the subject begins to move, it's mouth opening and closing. It's head moves from side to side, it's shoulders moving with it but then a barrel of the gun appears at the forehead and Beth knows even before it happens what is coming next but she still watches as the bullet travels through the brain and the person slumps against the table no longer moving.

"God. What was that?" Carol shouts loudly as she reaches down to cover Sophia's eyes with one hand and placing another hand on her chest.

"He shot his patient in the head. Didn’t you?" Andrea asks as she turns to glare at Jenner.

"VI, Power down the main screen and the workstations." Jenner says suddenly as he turns around and begins heading to the door, no longer interested in answering ay of the questions they might have but Beth isn't letting him get away that easy so she follows after him.

"You have no idea what it is, do you?" Her voice carries through the silence, stopping him in his tracks as he turns to look at her, eye showing the first bit of emotion since she met him - sadness. It gives her all the answers she needs, has her sitting back in her chair and placing her head in her hands. It's like she can feel the hope slipping from her body.

"It could be microbial, viral, parasitic, fungal." He's guessing, it's not an answer to the question she asked, it's possibilities because he doesn't want to admit to them that he has no clue what it is or even any clue how they could solve it.

"Somebody must know something. Somebody somewhere." Andrea cries loudly from nearby but Beth still doesn't raise her head.

"There are others, right? Other facilities?" Carol adds as she gently lets go of Sophia, Beth lifting her head to finally look up at the people around her, the little girl moving to sit down and play with the doll Morales daughter had given her. She doesn't look scared or worried - she looks like a normal girl for once and it's nice to see.

"There may be some. People like me." Jenner says but it's clear to Beth that just like everything else he has no clue and it's infuriating her. They came here for answers, for something that could help and they are no closer to anything except knowing what happens to the brain after a bite - she has no idea what they are even supposed to do with that.

"But you don’t know? How can you not know?" Rick asks, he sounds as angry as Beth feels.

"Everything went down. Communications, directives - all of it. I’ve been in the dark for almost a month." Jenner mumbles as though he thinks it's no big deal. Had he even been trying to figure things out? Or had he given up the moment he shot his subject in the head?

"So it’s not just here. There’s nothing left anywhere? Nothing? That’s what you’re really saying, right?" Andrea cries, panicked. Beth can see that her eyes are swollen and red, her face is pale and she looks tired.

"Man, I’m gonna get shitfaced drunk again." Daryl speaks for the first time, shaking his head as he walks out of the room without a goodbye. Beth watches him walk away thinking he might have the right idea. If her head and her stomach weren't still fucked up then she might join him in his drinking and forget everything going on around them.

"Doctor Jenner, I know this has been taxing for you and I hate to ask one more question, but…that clock - it’s counting down. What happens at zero?" Dale asks. Beth turns to look at where he is pointing, the giant clock on the wall counting down, the seconds ticking away - her stomach turns as she stares at it, knowing whatever it is counting down towards isn't going to be good.

"The basement generators - they run out of fuel." Jenner explains. Beth knows about generators, she grew up on a farm and she knows that when they run out of fuel then they shut down the electricity around them. Problem is everything down here seems to be running on electric, even the air around them flooded in from above them.

"And then?" Rick asks concerned but Jenner just ignores him and heads out of the room before anyone can stop him. Rick rubs a hand over his face before he looks up. "VI, what happens when the power runs out?"

"When the power runs out, facility-wide decontamination will occur."

...

Beth needs to talk to Daryl.

With everything going on the one person who she wants to speak to right now is the man she spent last night talking too. Rick and Glenn are off somewhere and even then she isn't sure they would agree with what she wants to say and do. But she has a feeling Daryl would agree with her more.

She wants to leave this place, everything happening and Jenner keeping secrets from them means her trust has all but gone for the doctor. There is a countdown on the wall for a decontamination, generators running out of fuel and no cure so why are they even here. They can't stay underground forever and her gut says they shouldn't for another second.

Beth stops before she can get to Daryl's room, a frown on her face as she takes a step closer to the bedroom Lori was in, her hand waving under the aircon and Carl sat watching his mother from the bed.

"Everything ok?" Beth asks softly as Lori turns to look at her, moving quickly towards the doorway and gripping the door with her skinny fingers. For a second Beth thinks she is going to slam it in her face and tell her to piss off but the woman looks at her with wide eyes, fear obvious in them.

"Where's Rick?" 

"I think he went to check the generators with Glenn." Beth explains, she isn't one hundred percent sure but she had seen most of the men run off the moment VI had spoken and she had headed this way.

"Mom? Something wrong?" Carl asks as he moves to stand beside his mom.

"Uh, nothing. It’s just…the air conditioning stopped." Lori explains softly as she pats down Carl's hair, Beth frowns as she moves into the room waving her hand underneath the air conditioning. Nothing is coming out of it, not even as Beth clicks the buttons on the remote.

Lori gives her a look as Beth moves past her towards the room where Carol and Sophia are staying, her hand raised to knock only for the door to open. Beth takes a step backwards as Carol steps out with a frown. "Why is the air off?"

"And the lights in our room?" Beth frowns as she turns to look at Lori. She had just been in the room and they had lights and now it is pitch black in there. She wants to assure them that sometimes this happens with generators, sometimes they are old and just need a kick to get back up and running again but it doesn't feel right.

"What’s going on? Why is everything turned off?" Daryl asks suddenly as everyone else begins to come out of their rooms. He has a bottle of whisky in his hands and Beth wants nothing more than to take it from him and swig it, seems Jenner has the same idea as he swoops past them and snatches the bottle.

"Energy use is being prioritized."

"Not to sound rude but I'm pretty sure air is a priority." Beth snaps as she follows behind him, watching as he drinks from the bottle. He doesn't look back at the people following after him, doesn't seemed annoyed or angry - no in fact he seems to have some form of smile on his face, like this is what he wanted to happen.

"It’s not up to me. Zone 5 is shutting itself down." Beth can't help but think it has a little to do with him.

"Hey! Hey, what the Hell does that mean?" Daryl growls from beside her as he reaches out to try and stop the man but Jenner just keeps walking and drinking. Beth lets out a little gasp as she hears the sound of power beginning to wind down around them. "Hey, man, I’m talking to you. What do you mean it’s shutting itself down? How can a building do anything?" Beth taps his shoulder as she sees Rick, Glenn, T-Dog and Shane running up some stairs to join them, eyes wide.

"You’d be surprised." Jenner says his hand reaching out to stop Lori from joining her husband as he rushes past them on the stairs, leading them towards the big room where the countdown seems to be going even faster now.

"Jenner, will you tell us what is happening?" Beth shouts loudly as she grabs a hole of his arm and turns him around. Nothing is adding up anymore, her throat is closing and her gut is telling her that they need to leave before it's too late. Before that clock reaches zero and something bad happens to them. 

"The system is dropping all the nonessential uses of power. It’s designed to keep the computers running to the last possible second. That started as we approached the half-hour mark. Right on schedule." Jenner explains as he moves to a desk, nudging Beth's hand off his arm as he gives her a small smile, one that does nothing to ease her as he holds out the bottle for Daryl to take, which he does with anger.

Beth watches as he works on his computer for a few seconds, tapping away on the buttons as no one speaks. It's too much to take, no cure and a building that is about to shut down on them.

"It was the French." Jenner says suddenly, everyone turning to stare at him. "They were the last ones to hold out as far as I know. While our people were bolting out the doors and committing suicide in the hallways, they stayed in the labs till the end. They thought they were close to a solution." That is no help. They have no way of getting to France unless they build some old fashioned giant boat like the Mayflower and somehow Beth doesn't think that is going to happen.

"What happened?" Jacqui asks softly as she takes a step forward.

"The same thing that’s happening here. No power grid. Ran out of juice. The world runs on fossil fuel. I mean, how stupid is that?" Jenner says with a little laugh as though it is the funniest thing he's heard.

Shane growls as he steps closer to Jenner. "Let me tell you - "

"To Hell with it, Shane. I don’t even care. Lori, grab our things. Everybody, get your stuff. We’re getting out of here now!" Rick orders as he points towards the doors, Beth moves backwards as she half listens to his orders only to stop when an alarm begins blaring around them, piercing her ears and causing her to hunch over slightly.

"What’s that?" Shane shouts loudly.

"30 minutes to decontamination." VI's voice rings out throughout the room. Beth feels her eyes go wide as she takes a step closer towards the door, gripping Glenn shirt and dragging him along with her.

"Doc, what’s going on here?" Daryl shouts as Jenner scans his bag and enters a code into the security pad.

"Everybody, y’all heard Rick." Shane shouts.

"Get your stuff and let’s go! Go now! Go!" Rick shouts at them.

Beth doesn't even think twice as Glenn grabs her hand, the two of them running through the doors just before it shut behind them. Beth turns quickly facing the metal closed doors, she can't hear anything going on inside but she knows this can't be good as she runs forwards and begins banging on them, Glenn quick to join her.

"No. Did he just lock them in? He just locked them in!" Glenn cries as he kicks the door, trying his best to open them but nothing happens. Jenner that son of a bitch!

"Shit - alright ok - the countdown had thirty minutes on it and when that hits zero it means decontamination which can't be good." Beth rushes out as she takes a step away from the door and looks to Glenn. "I'm gonna say we have thirty minutes to get out of here and then shit is going to hit the fan - which means we don't really have thirty minutes." Beth has no idea what she is talking about but Glenn is staring at her with a frown.

"Go get their bags and weapons, put them outside the door and I'll try to find something to get them out with." Glenn orders, Beth would have been taken aback by his tone if they weren't in a rush, instead she turns and runs as fast as she can.

It doesn't take her long to grab their things. It's heavy and she's sure her arms will be marked after this but she doesn't care as she loads up as much as she can. Some things might have to be left behind or grabbed on their way out but the majority of things is with her, as well as some of the foods from the kitchen that she had managed to find.

Glenn doesn't look at her as she drops the bags beside them, instead he reaches for the crowbar she had stuffed into Rick's weapons bag and places it between the barely their crack of the doors. "How long we got left?" He asks her as he pushes as hard as he can before letting out a breath.

Beth stares at the crowbar now stuck in the door and sighs. "Maybe twenty or fifteen minutes."

"If they don't open the doors at when there in five minutes then we grab what we can carry and get ourselves out of here." Beth stares shocked at Glenn, a part of her mind knows he is being sensible, that their friends might not be able to get out but they can but she doesn't want to listen to that part of her brain.

"Glenn we can't leave them in there, there are children!" Beth almost shouts as she grabs a hold of the crowbar and pushes it. Her arms ache and nothing happens but she refuses to give up.

"I don't want to leave them but we have to have options - we have to look out for ourselves too." Glenn says softly as he begins sorting out the bags as best as he can. "Beth - Beth come on, you are going to hurt yourself." Glenn says even softer as she carries on pushing on the crowbar, letting out a frustrated growl as her hand slips. "Jesus Beth, are you ok?"

Beth doesn't answer him as she looks down at the cut across her hand, it isn't deep but the end of the crowbar was a lot sharper than it look. Her eyes fill with tears as she begins banging on the door, screaming at the top of her lungs in a way that she hopes they can hear her.

"JENNER PLEASE!" 

"Beth come on - we are going to have to go." Glenn is pulling her away from the door, her backpack already placed on her shoulders and a gun now in her hand before she can even blink. Her eyes stare at the bags left by the door, Daryl's crossbow, Sophia's pink backpack and she knows she can't leave them behind. Glenn lets go of her with a sigh, seeming to understand where her head is at.

"I'm sorry Glenn."

"Hey no problem, countdown could be as simple as just living in the dark for the time being." Beth would have liked to believe him but the doors opened suddenly and everyone was running out of the rooms, taking a small time to grab their bags as they rush past the two with cries.

"Come on!" Daryl shouts at everyone as he stands by the doors, hand on them like they might close. Beth moves fast, picking up with bag she had found in his room and his crossbow, handing them off to him. "What the fuck are you still doing here, girl?"

"Wow rude, we were trying to get you out."

"Yeah well get yourself out before this whole place blows up." Beth feels her mouth fall open, her eyes move to the clock behind them, only a few short minutes left but Rick is still in the room, Jenner whispering things into his ear. And Jacqui, Andrea and Dale are all there too, she can't leave them behind her.

"Hey, we’ve got four minutes left! Come on!" Glenn shouts but it sounds so far away as Rick turns away from Jenner and rushes back towards the door well Beth moves forward and towards Jacqui, gripping the womans hand as she tries to pull her away. She knows she could leave, just leave those who don't seem to want to move behind but she can hear Dale talking to Andrea and she can't just leave Jacqui behind.

"Come one Jacqui, we can't stay here."

"No no. I’m staying. I’m staying, sweetie." Jacqui says as she lifts a hand to stroke Beth's cheek. "You need to go Beth, you need to let me make my choice like you did with Jim. I'm fine with this." Jacqui says softly as she nods her head towards the doors. Beth just stays staring at her. The idea is tempting, to stay here and be done with everything.

"Fuck sake, girl." Daryl snarls in her ear. Jacqui gives her one last soft smile as Daryl scoops her onto his shoulder as though she is nothing, moving them away from the room as Glenn runs ahead of them.

It doesn't take them long to reach the lobby, it also doesn't take Beth long to realise they have no way out as Daryl puts her back down on her feet. Her legs feel shaky and her brain is desperate to remind her of Jacqui choosing to stay behind, but she won't let it win. Despite the brief moment of doubt she did want to live, she wanted to get out of this building.

"Get the doors open!" Glenn shouts panicked. Beth knows the place is going to blow up in just a couple of minutes, that they don't have much time but the doors are refusing to open no matter how much she bangs against them. "It doesn’t work!"

Everything sounds far too loud, the axes now banging on the windows, people crying around them. It's looking like they won't get out of here anytime soon unless someone manages to get them doors open. "Look out." Beth can't help but turn to look at T-Dog as he yells, a chair in his hands as he runs at the window, throwing it. Nothing happens, not even a dent but it seems to spur Shane on as he loads his shotgun.

"T, get down! Get down!" Shane shouts as he aims at the window and fires a round. "Jesus." Beth lets out a little cry as she sees a small dent.

"Rick, I have something that might help. Your first morning at camp, when I washed your uniform I found this in your pocket." Carol says suddenly as she digs through her bag before pulling out the same grenade Rick had found in the tank. He takes it from her hand and stand up as Carol rushes to grab Sophia and leads her away.

Glenn is already ducking behind a desk and Daryl is grabbing her hand and pulling her away before she can even process what is happening right now. Rick pulls out the pin and jumps out of the way as Daryl pushes her head down and covers her slightly with his body. It shakes her to her bones and rings in her ears but she can hear the glass falling to the floor and knows they have a way out.

"Lets go." Daryl mumbles to her as he grabs his axe with one hand and her hand with his other, pulling her along to the little opening and practically pushing her through it. She wants to shout at him as she falls onto her knees but he is already pulling her back up and rushing her to the vehicles, axe slaying any walker that gets too close to them.

She can see Glenn looking for her near the R.V with T-Dog and Shane, can see Rick rushing Lori, Carl, Sophia and Carol towards their car. There is nothing she can do though as Daryl pulls her towards his own truck, her feet stumbling under her as she turns around to look at the C.D.C to see Andrea and Dale climbing out but there is no sign of Jacqui.

"Get back! Everybody down! Down!" Rick shouts, his voice seeming to echo around them.

Beth doesn't need Daryl to pull her down this time as she ducks behind his truck, his shoulder banging into her own and almost sending her to the ground. She hears it before she feels it, the sound of shattering glass, exploding tanks and cars but then comes the heat. Beth has no idea how close the flames are to her but it doesn't matter, it feels like she might as well be on fire or stuck outside in the Georgian summer heat.

Daryl pulls her up quickly, opening his truck door for her and practically pushing her in. She slides down the seat as she sees the fire licking at everything around the building, Daryl's arm brushing against her as he turns the truck on and begins driving. She can see the other cars following in the mirror, see the pale face of Rick behind them.

Beth nor Daryl speak until the black smoke of the C.D.C is practically out of their view.

"What the fuck just happened?"

"I tried to kill Jenner because the bastard locked us in." Daryl explains like it's nothing as he focuses on the road in front of them. Beth has no idea where they will even go now, maybe Fort Benning but she isn't even sure if that will be worth the risk anymore.

"I know that but why did he lock the doors?" Beth asks as she looks down at the cut on her hand, it doesn't sting but there is blood in the little crevices there. She knows she will have to clean it, she doesn't wait for Daryl to answer as she reaches into her backpack and pulls out a bottle of water and some socks she had stolen from the C.D.C. It's the best she can do as she splashes the water on the cut and rubs the sock over it.

"Blew the C.D.C up girl, how did you not see that?" Daryl asks as he sends her a small frown. She rolls her eyes as she looks over at him.

"Yeah I got that, I'm asking why he did that."

"Something to do with power failure - Hell girl I wasn't paying that much attention, ask someone else." Daryl almost snaps at her as he gripes the steering wheel tight, pulling over to the side of the road as Rick flashes his headlights. The truck cuts off but Beth is holding Daryl back before he can get on, her pale hand wrapped around his tan wrist.

"I'm asking you."

"Why?" Daryl asks her as he narrows his eyes at her. "I ain't no scientist. Can't explain exactly what happened." Daryl adds as he licks his dry lips, Beth nods her head but still refuses to let go of his wrist. She can hear the rest if their group exiting their cars and waiting for the two to join them.

"I just wanted to know." Beth says as she lets out a sigh, opening the passenger door and pushing herself out. She didn't know why it was she wanted Daryl to tell her what happened, couldn't explain why she just wanted to sit with him in the car and just talk about everything that happened. It was Daryl, the man who glowered at everything and everyone, so why was she looking at him like he could offer her some form of comfort and why was he looking at her like he understood?

It was something she could think about later on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was it? I'm never that happy but if you guys like it then I guess I will too.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading it even if you didn't like it. Means a lot.
> 
> So next chapters are going to start deviating from the original storyline, things will change. Characters are going to develop differently and get stronger but I won't give too much away. 
> 
> Please comment and like, it means everything and give me a reason to carry on writing when things feel dark in these shitty times. Plus I love hearing your theories and thoughts about things.
> 
> Thank you.


	7. What Lies Ahead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry! I've recently been doing an online course which obviously has been taking up too much of my time. It's hard and difficult and in all honesty by the end of the day the last thing I want to be doing is continuing staring at my laptop.
> 
> But I've been wanting to post this for so long that I have been writing and editing in the slight spare time I have. I thought I would have it up by the weekend but apparently this chapter is 111,562 characters long, which seems a lot and has been a bitch to edit.
> 
> Anyway certain things have changed in this chapter. I don't know if everyone has accepted it as cannon, I have, but their is a pretty big scene that got deleted from the beginning of this episode which I kind of decided to add back in. It will come back around in the future.
> 
> Again I am sorry for the wait and I hope this chapter was worth it. I feel like it won't be but I'll wait to hear your thoughts. I hope you are all okay and safe.
> 
> I don't own The Walking Dead.

It didn't take long for things to go to shit.

The cars they had slowly began to break down. Rick's truck was the first to go but with an easy switch him and his family ended up in the R.V with Glenn, Dale and Andrea. They carried on driving soon after, an R.V and three trucks.

Then shit really hit the fan. A large group of walkers stumbling through the road, eyes on the trucks heading towards them. Their growls seemed to ring through Beth's ears as they drove past them - then Daryl was sat freaking out, his horn blasting, his window rolled down slightly as he shouted out of it, waving his hands around as he gestured behind them.

Beth had no clue what he was doing, she was kind of scared he was having some sort of seizure but as she turned around slowly she saw what he was gesturing too. The truck Shane was driving had stopped, the man had climbed out and was now doing his best to get away from the walkers chasing after him, his shotgun in his hand as he shot them the best he could - Beth watched with wide eyes, unable to look away as the walkers got closer.

Daryl was still screaming next to her, as he turned the car around, swerving through the walkers. Beth turned around to stare at him with wide eyes as he leaned across her pushing open her door and pulling her closer to him all within a couple of seconds. "Get in!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. Shane turned to look at them before running and jumping in next to Beth, his elbow colliding with her ribs.

"Thanks." He mutters as the truck carries on driving behind the R.V, Rick waving his hand out in thanks.

"R.V was taking too long to turn around - quicker if I got you myself." Daryl rasps out, his hand reaching out to pull Beth a tiny bit closer to him as he sends a quick look to Shane.

Beth feels unsure about the situation she had been put in. She knows that Daryl has done the right thing by saving Shane but she isn't sure she wants to be sitting so close to him - he unnerves her. There's something about him that she can never put her finger on, something in her eyes that scares her slightly and the way he stares at Lori and Rick just makes her nervous. Yet here he is sat beside her, panting like he has just run a marathon and not even uttering another word as they drive behind the R.V.

"Where do you think we are going?" Beth says quietly as she turns to look at Daryl. Her eyes go wide as she realises just how close he has pulled her to him. His arm is pressed against hers and her face is an inch away, he flinches slightly but doesn't move her as his eyes flick to Shane and then back to the road. Beth understands now - he doesn't feel safe with her around Shane anymore than she does.

"Fort Benning is where we should be heading." Shane mumbles out before Daryl can even open his mouth to speak.

"It's a long drive and the sun will be down soon - can't be driving there with our headlights on." Daryl grumbles out as he gripes his steering wheel tight, knuckles turning white.

Beth doesn't say anything, she isn't sure what she is supposed to say, so instead she stays silent and stares at the back of R.V. It moves through the streets like it knows where it is heading and Beth trusts Rick - wherever he takes them she knows he will keep them safe. Other people might not be able to see that, too caught up in his mistakes to even see what he is doing for them - what he has risked for them.

It doesn't take her long to figure out where they are heading when the familiar buildings begin to creep up. "Atlanta?" 

"Safer than sleeping in our cars on the side of a road when there are walkers around." Daryl says before Shane can even open his mouth, a deep frown set above his brown eyes as he avoids looking at Beth or Daryl. Beth nods her head in agreement, as she leans a bit closer to him to stare out of his window as they drive into the city, the familiar twists and turns and broken buildings around them.#

"The Vatos."

"What - okay, so Rick is taking up to the people that kidnapped Glenn and threatened you?" Shane asks loudly, his eyebrows practically flying to his hairline as he turns to look at them both, his gun is his hand and bent towards them.

"We ended on good terms." Beth says as Daryl parks the truck, she sends Shane a quick frown as she reaches down to grab her backpack and her own weapons. Shane doesn't respond as she follows after Daryl, jumping out of the drivers side of the truck and landing on the ground with a wince as her feet ache at the pressure.

"Beth, Daryl, thank you for saving Shane." Rick gives them a small smile as he moves towards them, handing Beth a shotgun.

"How was the ride with Shane?" Beth jumps slightly as Glenn appears beside her, a slight smile on his face as everyone else follows behind Rick, their eyes scanning everywhere for walkers. Shane is ahead of them but he could easily hear anything she had to say about him so she settles for shrugging her shoulders and giving Glenn a look.

The Vatos building looked the same as it did before, only difference being they weren't going in there threatening people this time - they were just a ragtag group looking for some form of shelter and safety in these difficult times. It's hard to say if they will even take them in, if their group will be back in their vehicles and looking for another place to hole up for the night.

"Bet they're barely hanging on. What makes you think they'll take in strangers?" Andrea asks softly from where she stands on the other side of Beth, a gun in her hands as she looks around at the destroyed front of the building.

"With the guns we gave them they'll probably throw us a party." Daryl mutters ahead of them, he turns to look over at his shoulder, eyes finding Beth as he gives her a nod. She isn't sure what he's looking for on her but whatever it is he seems pleased - maybe he's checking she has weapon or she's there but even that doesn't explain why he would be looking at her. "Good call for once." He adds as he turns to look at Rick, Beth rolls her eyes as she fights the urge to smack him around the back of the head.

Instead she focuses on the defenceless people behind her, Lori, Carol, Carl and Sophia, all huddled behind her, eyes wide and unsure as they enter the building. Beth watches as the men and Andrea jump through the open window before she heads through, holding out her arms to help Sophia through as she swings her gun onto her back.

Sophia hugs herself to Beth's side as Beth reaches out a pale hand to help Carol through the window - her eyes travelling over to Lori and Carl who don't even wait for her as they head forward. A soft tap lands on Beth's arm as she gently lets go of Carol's hand, Sophia refuses to let of Beth as they follow behind everyone else.

The place is empty, almost too quiet - an eerie silence that Beth had grown used to in the hospital except for the few days (week?) she hasn't had to and now it makes the hairs on the back of her neck rise up. Her hand gripes tightly around Sophia, pulling her close as her other hand reaches for her knife - the shot gun is stuck to her back and she doesn't want to use it when she is gripping onto a child.

"Where are the lookouts?" Glenn asks quietly as he moves forward, the group looking up for the men who had once used to stand there.

They move fast around the corner, Shane holding out a hand to stop them from moving further as a growl rang out around them. Beth gently moved the little girl from her leg, passing her to her mother as she stared at the walker munching slowly on a dead body, bloody guts in it's hands as it's eyes focused on nothing.

"Ah son of a bitch!" Shane hisses as he lowers his hand and gestures for them to carry on walking only to jump back. It doesn't take long for Beth to figure out why as her eyes land on more walkers eating, the burnt bodies on the floor around them and the squelching sound of body parts begin ripped from their bodies and eaten.

They could have gotten away, snuck through some window or something but it seems fate has something else in store for them as the women behind Beth gasp and the walkers turning their eyes onto the group, no longer interested in the food by their feet. Beth holds back the glare she wants to send them as the walkers stumble to their feet, her knife gripped tightly in her hands.

"To Hell with the noise." Rick snaps suddenly, moving forward and lifting his gun into the air as he fires off a round, a walker falling to the ground in a heap. The rest of the dead looking even more eager, more faster towards the people in front of them, if they were able to express emotions then Beth would have said that they even looked excited.

The sound of guns going off make it hard for her to focus on anything else, her own gun is still resting on her back but her knife is in her hand as she takes a step backwards, arms thrown out to protect those vulnerable behind her. Her gun might need to be used later so she'll save whatever bullets she has, especially when she can take down the walkers with a single stab to the head as they get a tiny bit too close.

"Come on. On me!" Rick screams at them, waving his arm in the air as he begins charging forward, away from the dead and towards the back rooms. Beth stays behind the group, her eyes darting everywhere as she checks to make sure every walker is down, her feet slowly taking her backwards until she follows everyone else.

The first room they enter is dark, reeks like rotted flesh and random flies flitter around their faces - yet it only gets worse as they enter a hallway. Beth feels her eyes water instantly and her throat close as it attempts not to gag, dead bodies laid around on the floor, blank eyes staring upwards at them. It's horrible and surprising to see, which is exactly why Beth doesn't blame Sophia for crying.

"Keep your voices down." Someone says but it's hard to tell who for she is more focused on the upset little girl clinging onto her mother.

Sophia shrieks as they continue to creep forward, her cries ringing out around them. Beth moves backwards as Daryl turns around to glare, his mouth falling open as he probably prepares to say something unhelpful - Beth sends him a glare right back as she gently places her hands on Sophia's shoulders.

"Hey Sophia, hey listen to me - I know this is scary and really unpleasant but we need to keep quiet." Beth keeps her tone gentle like she used to do with her friends little siblings. She remembers how they used to listen to her, the girl who spoke on their level with a sort of firmness instead of shouting at them. Sophia though, just stares at her with teary eyes as she lets out another cry.

"Girl keep her quiet."

"Daryl back the Hell off, now." Beth hisses at him, her teeth bared as she sends him a quick look before softening as she turns back to look at Sophia, tucking the dirty bob behind her ear and stroking her grimy cheek in an attempt to gain her attention. "Come on, we need to be quiet, I know you can do that because you are strong." Sophia's bottom lip quivers as she nods her head. Beth wipes the little girls face one last time, giving her a soft smile as she stands back up.

"Okay stay or go?" Lori whispers, her eyes turning away from where she had been watching Beth manage what everyone else had failed. 

"We don't have the fuel." Rick sounds annoyed, like he has said it so many times before. His hands are tense around his gun and his eyes are looking everywhere - he looks more agitated now with everyone looking at him and waiting for his answers. "I suggest we bunk down for the night. Me, Daryl and Shane will go sweep the place and make sure we are alone." Rick continues as he rubs his forehead and waits for anyone else to contradict him. "Barricade those doors." He adds as the three begin to walk away, pointing to Beth and Glenn and then the doors behind them.

"We need something to push against them." Beth whispers to the group once the three men are out of sight, they nod back at her as they begin searching around.

"What about this?" Beth pops her head out from the room she was just looking in as Andrea's whisper rings down the hall. She is stood around the corner, trying to push a heavy looking table, those wide blue/green eyes on Glenn. Beth moves past them all, nodding her head at T-Dog on the way as they try to help Andrea drag it down the hallway.

"Perfect." Beth says with a grin as she lifts it up as best as she can. It's heavy and bulky and she's pretty sure she will have some bruises on her stomach tomorrow but it will keep them as safe as possible for the night. 

It's a struggle to press it against the door in a way that they can pull it back out if they need to leave but so nothing can get in - which is exactly why the add a few folded down chairs and other things on the top to add more weight. It's tiring and they are all covered in sweat, and if you listen close enough then you can hear their growling stomachs but it's done.

Beth lets out a little chuckle as she slumps down against the wall, feeling as though they have a win for today only for that to be squashed when the growls come. It takes them all of two quiet seconds to move behind the door, hidden beneath the shadows of the ever fading light, eyes wide and the children clinging together as they try their best not to cry.

The walkers go quickly, not even noticing the terrified humans just behind the door. Beth lets out a breath and turns to look at Glenn who is messing up his hair, his hat in his hands. They all look shaken and nervous, unsure of what to do next so Beth takes the lead - she nudges them with her foot, inclining her head to where the men had disappeared to.

They follow behind Beth and Glenn, silently moving down the hall until they enter a large room, gurneys and dead bodies everywhere, gunshot wounds between their eyes.

"Upstairs is our best bet, we've cleared a few rooms and we can barricade those if we have to." Rick says as he turns to look at them all, he lets out a sigh as he places his hands on his hips as he carries on speaking. "We'll be alright." It sounds more like he is trying to comfort himself instead of the small group looking to him for answers.

"You mean it this time or are you lying to us like all the times before." Carol is quick to snap as she sits herself down and holds Sophia in her arms, her eyes are glaring at Rick. Beth sees the way Rick looks down, the guilt on his face as the words hit him harder than he clearly anticipated and Beth can't take it, doesn't want him doubting himself.

"Carol - it's a shit situation, I know that but he is doing the best he can and we need to respect that."

"What the hell happened?" Glenn asks before Carol can say anything else but Beth is watching the woman. She has the decency to look guilty, her eyes looking down at the ground beneath them and silent tears falling down her cheeks. Beth knows the past few days have been utter shit for everyone, knows everyone needs a person to blame and Rick will take it but she refuses to stand by and let everyone attack him.

"What do you think? They got overrun." Andrea explains confidently as Beth looks away from Carol and to the bodies.

No, this is not overrun. This is something else, something sinister and ruthless - something human. Most of the people she can see don't even seem to have bites, don't even seem bloody or anything else other than the one single gunshot wound they all seem to have. Daryl must agree with her as he lets out a scoff and rolls his eyes.

"Something to say?" Andrea asks as she crosses her arms and narrows her eyes at Daryl.

"Yeah, how about observant?" Daryl snaps as he leans forward, pointing to all the bodies around them like they indicate what happened and they clearly do. Anyone who pays enough attention could figure out what this was.

"Observant, big word from a guy like you. Three whole syllables." Andrea snaps, her eyes rolling back in her head. Beth wants to slap the both of them, tell them to stop fighting but she knows it would be no use. Everyone is cranky, tired and hungry - they don't want to be in this place that smells like death, staring at the bodies around them - but all they have right now is each other.

"Walkers didn't do this, from what I can see there is no bites and they all have one thing in common." Beth explains as she holds a finger gun to her head, stepping between Andrea and Daryl before they can start a fight. "This was human, clear as day." The group frown as they look down at the bodies and Beth takes her leave, sitting beside Glenn.

"They shot them in the head, execution style - ya'll worried about walkers, I'd be much more worried about the people who came and did all this. Get a dictionary, look it up - observant." Daryl snaps as he looks at Andrea, but it still lacks his usual anger that Beth had faced when she had insulted him. 

"I'm sorry." Andrea whispers but Daryl just looks away from her, heading out of the room without another word. Beth watches him go as she jumps down from beside Glenn, her boots clicking on the floor and calling the groups attention to her.

"You - all of you - should stop judging him, he's a lot smarter than he lets you know." They all look guilty as she stares them all down. "You all treat him like shit, like a person who doesn't even deserve to be here yet he's done a hell of a lot for us - show him some fucking respect." Beth snaps, she knows she should mind her manners but she can't - not when it comes to standing up for him.

...

They gather in a room for the night, stairs through one door and a hallway through another, able to see if anything is coming for the night. Beth stands by the window, her hand on the blinds as she looks through it as best she can without showing any of the candle light from the room. She isn't sure what she is looking for - walkers, humans - but her stomach is turning at the thought of staying here with all the dead bodies below them.

"Ransacked the kitchen, all we found is that one can." Beth closes the blinds as she turns to see Shane and Rick walk into the room, Shane waving a can in his hand.

"They hit the dispensary too, tore the door off it's hinges took everything except this." Rick adds, Beth doesn't see what he is showing as she looks back out of the blinds. She can see a few walkers roaming through the streets below, legs moving sluggishly and eyes scanning around for any sign of food. 

"So we came back for some cough drops and garbanzo beans." Beth hears Daryl rasps and the sound of a packet rustling around. Doesn't exactly sound like a meal that Beth wants to get behind - beans had never been her favourite thing to eat growing up and she found cough drops too sweet but who was she to complain when that was all they had.

"Is there any water?" Sophia asks softly pulling Beth's attention away from the window as she reaches down to rummage in her backpack, pulling out a couple of bottle and sending the little girl a soft smile.

"This is all I got, we'll have to take it easy but here you go sweetie." Beth softly mutters as she passes one of the bottles to Sophia and another to Carl, the children will need it more than she will. She can see Daryl opening the can with his knife from the corner of her eye and lets out a sigh.

"What else you got in there?" Andrea asks as Beth moves to sit beside her, placing her backpack on her lap as she digs around in it.

"Couple of packs of chips, a few nuts, a pack of breakfast bars and a bottle of wine." Beth tells them as she throws the packets towards Glenn who is serving up the food. She waves the wine in her hand with a slight grin, not even sure why she had it in her bag in the first place. "Guess I was hoping for a quiet night alone with this." Andrea lets out a small laugh from beside her.

"God knows I've had far too many of those."

"Seen as how I saved your ass about fifty times already, I'm taking the first sip." Daryl jokes as he snatches the bottle from her hands, his mouth chewing around his beans as he gives her a small smirk. Beth doesn't even try to fight him as she rolls her eyes, just letting him take away the bottle.

"Lets go easy on that stuff, let's not forget where we are." Lori says with wide eyes as she looks between them like some sort of mother warning her children. Beth doesn't respond just takes the plate Glenn offers her and stares down at it, there are a few beans and a pack of chips, not to appetizing and she can't even bring herself to eat it as she stares up to see the children eating their food as fast as they can. Beth gives them a smile as she pushes her plate between them, she'll eat a breakfast bar - she's survived on less.

Andrea moves to copy her but Beth pushes the plate back into the older womans hand and gives her a look. She knows Andrea has been struggling to keep things down since Amy, knows that she needs the nutrition, even if it is from a few beans.

"What's next?" Lori asks suddenly, pushing herself off the floor as she moves to stand beside her husband. "We need to decide."

"Fort Benning, Rick." Beth looks over to Shane who is sat on the floor, his plate in his hands and his eyes on Rick.

"I should've listened to you, Shane. Would have saved us a lot of grief if I had. Jackie would still be alive." Rick mumbles, his hand covering his eyes as he tries to hide behind it. Beth feels sorry for him, that he is regretting why they are here.

"It was her choice man." Shane says back with a shake of his head. "Do not take that on."

"It was her choice, it was her decision to make, not yours, no more than it was with Jim." Andrea shakes slightly beside her as Lori speaks, bringing her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on her knees. Beth is aware that she almost made the same choice, that Dale had helped her decide to live, how daunting it must be to think about it.

Beth wants to comfort her but she can't. Her own mind is whirling as she thinks back to Jim - to how people can bring him up so casually like it was all Rick's choice and not Beth's or Jim's. Beth wonders briefly if Lori and Rick had been talking about it, if he was more torn up about it than he let on. It's make her stomach twist, she didn't want to do that to him, she didn't want him to hold onto any guilt for the choice she had made - not when she was so wrapped up in her own guilt.

"All these people, who'd have done something like this just coming here and murdering everybody, even all the old people. How sick is that?" Glenn whispers out as Beth turns to look at him. She has to agree that whoever did this was sick and the fact that they were probably still out there doing the same to other people just made Beth want to throw up the little food she had in her.

"Is this something we should be discussing right now?" Lori snaps as she gestures towards the children with a glare. Beth wants to fight back, tell her that these children need to be aware of the sort of people in the world now - that weapons were a necessitity - but she doesn't think it will do any good.

"Let's get some sleep." Shane says sending a glare to Glenn as he stands up.

...

Beth follows the men out of the room, she knows Shane probably doesn't think she needs to be a part of whatever he is going to say but she disagrees. She has opinions and thoughts about everything going on, she has fought and done everything she can to help protect this group, in her eyes that means she's more than welcome to a group discussion. 

"Hey, kids in there are terrified and the women." Shane whispers harshly to Glenn as Daryl shuts the doors behind them. Beth glares at him as Glenn lowers his head and bites at his lower lip.

"That might be the most sexist comment to come out of your mouth and that is saying something." Beth snaps back to him, the men turn to look at her but she doesn't look back as she keeps her eyes locked on Shane. "You saying none of you men aren't frightened? That just because we are the 'fairer sex' we have to sit in a room absolutely terrified and let the big strong men defend us because that is bullshit - "

"Beth."

"No Rick, I'm tired of it. Give them a gun and they'll defend your ass, give them a chance to protect themselves and they'll get stronger - put them in a corner and tell them how terrified they are then they'll believe it. They aren't weak and they need to be aware of what is happening around them whether that's women, children or men." Beth hisses out, her hands clenched into fists. She is practically in Shane's face and he is glaring down at her, his jaw clenched but he doesn't say anything.

"I'm sor - "

"Don't fucking apologise Glenn. You didn't do anything wrong." Beth says as she holds her hand up to her friend to stop speaking. He looks at her surprised, his mouth open. She gets it, she's never really ranted before, not to Shane who everyone seems to tiptoe around but she's tired, so fucking tired of being seen as less. 

"Girls got a point." Daryl whispers from beside her, Beth turns to look at him with a grateful smile as he gives her a small smirk.

"Beth is right." Rick adds as he places his hands on his hips, Shane turning to look at him in anger. Rick doesn't look back but instead gives Beth a warm smile as he leads them down the hallway towards T-Dog and Dale. "We all need to be able to protect ourselves and each other, everyone. That means we need everyone to do a watch and carry a weapon too - could have saved more people at camp if we'd have done that." Shane is practically glaring at Rick now as he leans against the wall.

"We also need more fuel - if we are heading to Fort Benning then we need it, might be best to leave a few vehicles behind and siphon the fuel from them." Beth thinks out loud. They have far too many trucks outside and far too many people spaced out.

"Good idea Bethy, we'll sort that out in the morning but for now how about everyone heads inside for a bit of sleep?" Rick suggests, the group nods but Beth stays sat beside T-Dog, Glenn staying by her side. "What you two doing?"

"Taking watch, can't sleep anyway, might as well do something useful." Beth explains as T-Dog and Dale give her a kind smile and head into the room. She has no idea how long they have been out here keeping watching of the stairs below them but she thinks it's been long enough. She doesn't mind staying out here, keeping her out for all the things that go bump in the night.

"Same as her."

"Someone will come change with you in a couple of hours." Rick says softly as he pats the top of her head. Beth wonders if he is disgusted by how messy, tangled and dirty it is but if he is he doesn't let it show as he looks down at her fondly.

"Don't worry if you can't, you all need the sleep."

"You didn't eat." Glenn whispers to her once Rick is gone, resting his head on her shoulder as he fights back a yawn. Beth rolls her eyes as she looks down at him - she should have known she would be in for a telling off from Glenn when he saw her push her food to the children.

"I had a breakfast bar." Beth lets out a sigh as she speaks. Her stomach grumbles and twists as she thinks back to the food she did have - it's something she can easily ignore. She did, after all, spend two months in a hospital with a half empty vending machine, spreading her food and drinks out over some time. She knows she will be fine without for a good while.

"You had half a breakfast bar." Glenn reminds her as he raises his head and taps her nose.

"Need to save some food and the kids need it more than I do, I can cope with a few days on snacks or nothing." Beth speaks lowly, she can hear people whispering behind them, talking as they settle down for the night, can even hear the deep breaths of someone sleeping. "Plus I think we have more pressing issues than whether I eat or not."

"The people who did this?" Glenn asks as he sends a look over his shoulder like he is scared Lori or Shane will come out and try to tell him off once again.

"Yeah - I just thought we would have more time before people turned to shit." Beth admits as she plays with the knife in her hand, occasionally stabbing it down into the stair below their feet.

It was something that she had been thinking about quite a bit recently. How people would change as things become harder. Food was already scarce, a necessity in order to survive but there was only so long cans could last - and then there were weapons that they needed to defend themselves so they didn't end up like the dead below them, something people were clearly willing to kill for.

"So did I but I suppose some people were already shit to begin with." Glenn admits with her. Beth thinks back to Ed, knowing he is right. The bad always had a way of surviving through the worst shit while the others fumbled along like they were in the dark. "Figures they would be the ones to survive."

"Hm."

"Can I join you guys?" The two friends look up to see Andrea stood above them, her arms wrapped around her shoulders and her face incredibly pale. The candles in the room behind them are out except one near the doorway, giving just enough light that they can see around them.

"You got your gun and your knife?" Beth asks, Andrea nods her head and lifts up her shirt to show her gun tucked into the waistband of her pants and pulls out her knife from her back. "Then of course you can."

"You alright?" Glenn asks her with a kind smile, one that gives comfort.

"No, I'm tired and this place reeks but it's safe for now and that's all I can ask for." Andrea says softly as she sits herself on the other side of Beth. It's a bit of a squeeze for the three of them on the top of the stairs but they manage. "I heard what you both said when you first left the room. Defending the women and apologising when you shouldn't have to."

"I scared - "

"They need to know what is happening in the world, need to know that it isn't just walkers they should be afraid of but people too." Andrea says as she cuts off Glenn. "And the men shouldn't be treating us like we are just people that need protecting, they should be teaching us how to protect ourselves or let us learn." Andrea adds, seeming annoyed by that fact.

"Think you are proving that already, you have a gun and I know you know how to shoot it - just by sitting here you are already doing more than some." Beth says as she pats Andrea's arm, the older woman shooting her a smile.

"You know Lori is constantly wrong about you." Andrea says after a couple of minutes of silence, she fidgets slightly and it takes Beth all of two seconds to realise she is uncomfortable with the silence.

"What?"

"She saying something about Beth?" Beth doesn't know whether to be grateful of the anger Glenn is projecting right now or to roll her eyes at his protective behaviour. It means a lot to her that she has him here, someone she can laugh with no matter how bad things have gotten, someone that is willing to defend her against anyone - like a good friend would.

"She says you're a homewrecking little girl, Rick finally pulled her on it the other day - it's why she was pissed off at the C.D.C." Andrea explains as Beth lets out a scoff and rolls her eyes. It sounded just like something Lori would do.

"So nothing new then." Beth says. "I am not interested in anybody here."

"Except Daryl." Andrea mutters under her breath but the problem is they are close enough together that she might have well just shouted it out for everyone to hear. Beth wouldn't be surprised if Daryl even heard it, she isn't stupid, she knows he's still awake judging by the sharp eyes she feels on her back every couple of minutes. Glenn lets out a shocked little laugh from beside her as he pushes Beth's shoulder.

"Thank god, someone else has noticed too, it's been boring teasing her alone." He stops laughing the moment Beth sends him a glare, but he keeps a teasing grin on his face.

"Hard not to with the way they bicker and they way they were all tangled up together in the rec room." It almost feels like Beth is being teased again by Maggie and Shawn when she had been caught kissing Jimmy in the barn. Except these two people are her friends (Glenn definitely and Andrea she hopes they are getting somewhere) and they are giggling like the world around them hasn't fallen to shit.

"We weren't tangled together, I had my feet in his lap and that was it." Beth almost cries out as she feels her cheeks burn brightly, she could probably light the way like Rudolph with the way she is blushing.

"Intimate." Glenn whispers as he grins at her, he presses his head into her shoulder and pokes her cheek.

"Well when I found you, you were practically in a little ball and Daryl might as well as been your blanket." Andrea explains before she takes a drink of the water by their feet. Beth doesn't want to think about how it might have looked or what had even happened while she was sleeping. "Never seen him put a blanket on someone and run out of that room as fast as he did." Andrea says with a chuckle.

"That's sweet, though I told you Beth if anything is going to happen then he will need my permission." Glenn turns serious as he points a finger at her face and stretches out his leg. Beth scrunches up her face as looks at Glenn, pushing his finger away.

"Why?"

"Think he'll probably have to ask Rick before you, Glenn." Andrea chimes in with a smirk as Beth rolls her eyes. If she wanted to be with anyone then that would be her choice and no one else's. If Daryl and her decided they liked each other and wanted to pursue anything then they wouldn't be asking anyone for that right.

"Hey, what is that?" Beth asks with a frown, slightly grateful to have a distraction from this conversation as she points to the bottom of Andrea's tennis shoes. They are dirty with blood marring the bottom of the soles but that's not what Beth is interested in - instead she's more focused on the little piece of paper stuck there.

"Odbur - I don't know it's kind of hard to read, slightly ripped. Probably means nothing." Andrea reads as she shrugs her shoulder and hands it to Beth. It's ripped and stained but it looks like there might have been more to the sentence. It's hard to know unless the retrace their steps and see if they can find another half but that could mean going right back to camp so Beth shrugs too and throws it onto the stairs in front of them, pushing it to the back of her mind.

...

"I ain't leaving Merle's bike behind." Daryl growls as he holds onto the handlebars. Beth doesn't know a lot about bikes but she thinks he looks extremely good stood next to that one, all angry looking - exactly like the sort of boy her daddy would have warned her away from at a first glance, which is exactly what makes him even more appealing because she knows looks don't always equal personality. 

"What about your truck?" Rick asks as he looks over at the group. Dale was obviously taking the R.V and they need at least one more truck to take the rest of the people in.

"You can take it - would rather have this anyway." Daryl leaves no room for discussion as he pushes down the foot on the bike and moves around Rick, grabbing on of the gas canisters and heading towards the vehicles they were leaving behind. Rick watches him go and sends Beth a look, she simply grins and shrugs her shoulders. She isn't going to talk Daryl out of what he wants. 

"Son! Let's saddle up!" Dale shouts once everything is loaded up. Daryl moves past her and onto his bike, Beth thinks she might even be drooling a bit at the sight which is exactly why she lets a chuckling Glenn drag her inside the R.V. Shane follows behind them, eyes breaking from where Rick, Lori, Carl, Carol and Sophia are climbing into Daryl's truck.

Beth lets out a sigh as she moves to sit beside the window with a quick wave to T-Dog who is laid in the bedroom. The room where Beth killed Jim. Beth shakes off those thoughts and smiles as Andrea climbs in beside her as the begin to drive out of Atlanta.

Shane eventually moves away from standing between Dale and Glenn and instead sits across from the two women. He drops the bag of guns beside him on the floor, pulling a couple out and placing them on the table in front of them. Beth watches as he pulls them apart, dropping all the pieces on the table and begins the process of cleaning them.

"Looks complicated." Andrea says as she reaches around Beth to open the R.V window, the breeze is surely messing up Beth's hair even more than it already is but she can't bring herself to care as she lets the cool breeze wash over her.

"The trick is getting all these pieces back together in the same way." Shane explains as he holds up a few pieces like an example. "I can clean yours and show you both how to do it." 

Beth watches as Andrea hands over her gun, eyes solely focused on Shane but it makes Beth feel nervous to watch the man pull on the gun and smile. He reminds her of a wild animal sometimes - one that doesn't take too kindly to been trained and instead has you constantly guessing what it's next move might be. And for that she can't bring herself to trust him like Rick can.

"It's a sweet piece."

"It was a gift. From my father. He gave it to me just before Amy and I took off on our road trip." There's a soft smile on Andrea's face as she reminisces her father and her sister, it's sad of course but there is a slight bit of happiness that is there. One that only ever comes when you have admitted to yourself that this can't bring you down forever. "He said, 'Two girls on their own, they should be able to defend themselves.'"

"Smart man, your father." Shane says as he gives her a small smile. He opens the chamber and looks down it, turning the handle towards Andrea. "So look, it's a... It's a limited capacity, see?" Andrea stares down the chamber with a frown. "Only holds seven rounds. Lets see yours Beth." 

"Nah I'm good." Beth mutters lowly. She may not know as much about guns as Shane or Rick or Daryl or even Glenn but she knows how to check for round, clean and fire one.

Her daddy wasn't a big lover of guns, he hated them but he had them. They lived on a farm, worked on a farm - a big piece of land with tons of meat - had to know when to scare them off or shoot at a fox before it got in the chicken coop. It was exactly why Beth knew how to hold a gun, and why her daddy and Otis made sure she could clean one so she didn't end up with a face full of gunpowder and a clogged barrel. 

"Oh jeez." Beth sends one last sweet smile to Shane as she climbs over Andrea and moves over to Dale and Glenn, sticking her head between them as she stares out at the cluttered highway ahead of them. It's like the line of cars that had been trying to get out of Atlanta, except it seems crazier judging by the turned over van ahead of them.

"What the fuck?" She asks lowly as Glenn lets out a sigh. They stop where they are, Beth catching Daryl turning around on his bike and staring at them as he pulls up beside Dale's window.

"See a way through?" Dale asks. Daryl doesn't answer as he tilts his head at the mess in front of them, turning his bike back around and weaving through the cars.

"Great response, what do you think he meant by that?" Glenn turns to ask her as she slaps the back of his head gently.

"I wouldn't know." Beth says as Dale starts the R.V again and begins moving forward, Glenn pulling out his map. "Maybe we should just go back." Beth whispers as she stares ahead, not focusing on the map. There has to be a road or a little town they can cut through behind them.

"There's an interstate bypass..."

"Can't spare the fuel." Dale says as he cuts of Glenn, Shane is now standing beside her, leaning on the back of Dale's seat. He feels much too close to her which is exactly why she practically sits herself on the edge of Glenn's seat. He gives her look but she just tilts her head backwards and he seems to understand as he moves over slightly.

There's not a lot of room for them both on the R.V passenger seat and Beth might as well be seat on Glenn's lap but it beats standing too close to Shane and this way she gets to keep her eyes on Daryl as they swerve after him through the sea of cars (some of which still seem to have bodies inside, Beth doesn't look at those ones too hard).

"Can we get through here?" Glenn asks as he leans forward, the spacing is slowly growing tighter make it almost impossible for them to squeeze through after Daryl. The R.V seems more than eager to answer for Glenn as the engine splutters and stops, a cloud of steam erupts from the front, fogging up the window in front of them. 

Beth and Glenn are the first out of the R.V, jumping out of the door and heading towards the front as Dale stomps out of it. "I said it. Didn't I say it? A thousand times. Dead in the water." He sounds annoyed as he moves forward and lets out a sigh.

It really shouldn't be this hot and Beth really shouldn't be sweating. They've only been out of the van for two seconds and yet here she is wiping a fresh shine of sweat off her forehead and hoping that Daryl doesn't notice. She doesn't know why that would be an issue, everyone is covered in sweat and their clothes are stained but yet Beth can't help but feel like some teenage girl who doesn't want her crush to see her as ugly. It's stupid, it's not even important right now but it's where she's at apparently. 

"Problem, Dale?" Rick asks as he makes his way over to them, hands on his hips and eyes scanning everywhere. The rest of his little car group following him. 

"Just a small matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope of - " Dale says as he looks over his shoulder at all the cars around them, shock falling onto his face as he realises what's around them. "Okay, that was dumb."

"If you can't find a radiator hose here... " Shane points out and Beth has to agree with him as she watches Daryl rifle through the boot of a car, picking up things as he goes. Some of it looks like baby stuff and he doesn't think twice before throwing it to the side.  
  
"There's a whole bunch of stuff we can find." He grumbles under his breath. Beth thinks of the amount of things people have with them, what they might have grabbed without second thought. The thought of a new pair of boots, maybe, and some socks. Perhaps some bandages for her feet and instantly moves to the car closest to them only to sigh.   
  
"I can siphon more fuel from these cars for a start." T-Dog adds as he moves through the cars. 

"Maybe some water." Carol says as Beth sends her a smile. God she would love some water about now.

"Food." Beth lets out a chuckle at Glenn who nudges her shoulder as he moves to join her at her car.

"This is a graveyard." Lori says loud enough for everyone to hear as they turn to look at her, stopping immediately as they take in her words. Beth wants to roll her eyes but Rick is looking at her and she doesn't want to offend him. "I don't know how I feel about this."

"Good thing we didn't ask you then because we don't have another choice." Beth knows she is being sassy, always did have a quick mouth on her but she knows it is a bit mean. It's just that Lori seems like one of those girls who needs to hear a little rudeness in order to stop her bitching - or to wake up and realise that the amount of things they could find in these care outweigh the need to be a moral person right now.

"Come on, y'all. Just look around, gather what you can." Shane says as he moves through the cars himself.

  
Beth is quick to go through the cars around them, stuffing things into bags like clothes and anything else she deems important. There's not a lot that would actually fit any of them, either too big or too small but there are a couple of things that are suitable enough for them to wear without anything falling down.

It's only when she gets to rummaging in her third car that she finds something actually useful for herself. A pair of thick socks, the ones that no cold is getting through and no boot can thin down, which is great since there happened to be a pair of leather combat boots shoved underneath a pile of dirty clothes and a first aid kit. She's practically dancing with joy, or she would be if her feet weren't about to die right now.

"What you got there?" Beth almost jumps as she turns around to find Carol. The older woman watches her slowly as walks closer, watching Beth like a hawk as she sits herself in the back of the car.

"Pair of boots cause mine are killing my feet." Beth says with a grin as she takes of the cowgirl boots and throws them into the car. A part of her is sad to see them go, to say goodbye to something that she loved but another part of her, the much bigger part is so happy to be rid of them. "Don't even want to know how much blood is in them."

"Jesus Beth, you should have told us earlier." Carol cries as she moves even closer taking in the bloody socks on Beth's feet. They are the ones she picked up at the C.D.C not even a day ago and already they are ruined. Beth doesn't let it bother her as she pulls the bandages and disinfectant out from the first aid kit. "Here let me."

"Carol no, my feet are horrible."

"Seen worse." Carol mutters as she slowly pulls off Beth's socks, throwing them back into the van. Beth can't help but chuckle softly as she wriggles her toes. There are a couple of nails that are bruised and the back of her feet might as well be bone, she knows they'll scar but there is also a cut on her right foot that Beth isn't even sure how it got there. "Might sting a bit." 

"Thank you." Beth whispers as Carol pours the alcohol onto her feet, it stings bad but it's over just as quick and Carol is busy wrapping her feet up. "I'm sorry about Ed, he was a dick but he was your husband and I'm sorry."

"The world and my little girl are better without him here." Carol says as she stands herself back up, giving Beth one last smile as she walks away. Beth takes a moment to appreciate her carefully wrapped feet as she pulls on her new socks and boots. A small smile on her face as she jumps from the trunk of the car, feeling the ache is her feet being wrapped up in almost a cushion like feeling.

It almost feels like a cloud as she walks towards the car beside where Glenn is working on, unscrewing a radiator hose and where Shane is currently bottling up water from a truck. She wants to ask him if he will pass her one but she also doesn't want to speak to him so she looks down at the open trunk in front of her.

"Beth!" Shane whispers harshly to her as he gesture to something. Grabbing Glenn and pulling him away. Beth frowns and peeks through the window of the car, eyes going wide as she sees the amount of walkers heading towards them. For the first time in her life she thanks God that she is skinny and small as she climbs into the trunk, pulling it shut and fighting back a cry when the fabric roof hits her head.

It's dark and she can't see a thing but she remembers the lessons her daddy taught her about if she ever gets taken (he always had a flare for dramatics now she will always be grateful for it), to find the release button. Obviously she isn't stupid, she won't press it but she needs to know her ways out of here which is way she has one finger at the side of the button and her other hand wrapped around her knife.

There is a clattering of metal around her as the walkers pass by, hitting things and the car is shaking. Beth fights back a cry as the trunk pops slightly, a small sliver of light coming in. The latch is still holding on but it's bobbing. She just prays it doesn't call their attention. 

She prays that everyone else is safely hidden away as the groans begin to lessen and the car stops jerking around the her inside. It's only then she hears a car, high pitched and scared. Beth presses on the release button, only to let out a small groan of annoyance when the trunk door refuses to open. She can't kick it because she has no room. 

Instead she pushes up the roof laying atop her head and peaks out. She can see Shane and Glenn still hidden beneath the water truck, but she can't see anyone else. All she can hear are the cries as she pushes it off her fully and climbs into the backseat and pushes it's door open.

Beth runs towards the sound, Glenn and Shane following after her just in time to see Carol climbing out from underneath a van, tears streaming down her face as Lori and Carl join them.

"Lori, there's two walkers after my baby." Lori is trying her best to shush Carol, but the woman doesn't listen as she moves closer to the edge of the road, looking down into the trees. Dale and Andrea join them, the older woman covered in blood, Beth will ask about that later. 

"Where's Rick?" Beth asks as she looks around. Daryl is carrying T-Dog over to the R.V, everyone is here but Rick and Sophia. Carol is still crying but it's so hard to understand what is happening except Sophia was in the woods somewhere.

"They - he went after Sophia!" Carol shouts as she sobs into Lori's shoulder.

"What!" Beth practically shouts as she runs her fingers through her hair, gripping her knife tight as she prepares to jump over the side and join Rick and Sophia in the woods only to be pulled back by a thick arm around her waist. She doesn't even need to turn around to know who it is because there is only one person who has grabbed her like that before.

"Girl, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to look for them." Beth explains as though it is simple. Personally she can't understand why no one else has joined him to get back Sophia, why they are all just stood here waiting on him? Leaving him to do the work while they cry and pretend they would have done the same.

"You have no clue how many walkers followed them into there, Rick will bring her back." Daryl speaks softly to her as he lets her go, his mouth just above her ear as his breath tickles her cheek. She wants to believe him but they don't know how many of that group of walkers wandered off into the woods or just how dangerous it could be in there.

  
...

  
Should she be here? According to Shane, no. He didn't think she had any reason to go with the three men into the woods to look for Sophia when Rick came back empty handed. Did Beth care? Also no, in fact her real words were 'Get your head out of your ass, I'm coming along.' Then she wandered off behind Daryl and Glenn with a huge grin on her face.

This also happened to be the reason she was stood with Glenn watching as Rick explained to Daryl where he had last seen Sophia, her eyes drifting to Shane who was avoiding even looking at her.

"You sure this is the spot?" Daryl asks as he looks inside the little alcove of twigs where Rick had said he last saw Sophia. It's hard for Beth to see but she's pretty sure not even she could fit in there if she tried hard enough. It would be safe enough for a little girl to hide in for a certain amount of time.

"I left her right here." Rick says, the water splashing around his ankles as he moves forward. " I drew the walkers way off in that direction, up the creek" Rick explains further as he points away from them. "She was gone by the time I got back here." Rick adds as Beth looks around, hoping to see the small girl hiding somewhere else. "I figured she just took off and ran back to the group. I told her go that way. And keep the sun on her left shoulder." 

"Hey, short round, Barbie, why don't you step off to one side?" Daryl shouts to them as he waves his arm around. Beth narrows her eyes as she shrugs at him, if he wanted something then he was going to have to say it. "You're fucking up the trail." 

"Don't be an ass." Beth snaps as she and Glenn move to one side, she frowns as she looks down to where they were both just stood. She can't see the 'trail'.

"Assuming she knows her left from her right." Shane says, Beth bites back her retort. They are out here looking for a little girl, they don't need to carry on whatever fight seems to be growing between them. 

"Shane, she understood me fine."

"Kid's tired and scared, man. She had her a close call with two walkers. Got to wonder how much of what you said stuck." Shane says with a shrug, Rick rolls his eyes as he follows after Daryl who's staring at the ground with such intensity.

"Got clear prints right here. She did like you said, headed back to the highway." Daryl says. Beth could have kissed him but instead she settled for a grin as Rick sighed a little. There was still the matter of finding her but at least they knew she had listened. "Let's spread out, make our way back."

"Hey, we gonna find her. She'll be tuckered out hiding in a bush somewhere." Shane says as he helps Rick out of the little creek. The four of them heading behind Daryl who seems to be staring at the ground with some sort of understanding. At least one of them knows what he's doing because Beth has no clue, can barely even see through the trees.

"She was doing just fine till right here." Daryl says as he kneels down on the ground, Shane copying him. "All she had to do was keep going. She veered off that way." Daryl says as he points to the right slightly. Beth raises her eyebrows and looks down that way.

"Why would she do that?" Beth asks as she stands over Daryl frowning at the ground. She doesn't see what he sees. 

"Maybe she saw something that spooked her, made her run off." Shane says. Beth looks around, she obviously can't tell if that is what happened or not. But it is possible another walker is lurking about around here. Sophia is an easily frightened child, she would get spooked by the slightest rustle in a tree or a branch breaking.

"A walker?" Glenn asks. 

"I don't see any other footprints. Just hers." Daryl states and Beth keeps her mouth shut as she tries to look for these footprints he is talking about, pressing her new boots into the leaves and listing them up but she is just staring at dented and cracked leaves. But as she stares hard she sees the little dent her feet had made, the way the floor adapted to her boot - it only takes her two seconds to lose it.

"So what do we do? All of us press on?" Shane asks as he stands himself up. 

"No, better if you, Beth and Glenn get back up to the highway. People are gonna start panicking. Let them know we're on her trail doing everything we can. But most of all keep everybody calm." Rick turns to look at her as he utters the last sentence. Beth nods her head, she isn't really sure how she is supposed to do that but she knows she'll be a hell of a lot better than Shane. 

"I'll keep 'em busy scavenging cars. Think up a few other chores. I'll keep 'em occupied. Come on." Shane gestures for her and Glenn to follow him. Beth pats Rick's arm, letting out a small gasp when he wraps her in a quick, tight hug before she follows after the boys. 

...

"Beth." Carol calls from a few cars over. Beth doesn't even think twice about pulling herself out of the boot she was checking, giving Andrea the all clear before she is turning and meeting Carol beside Dale. This woman needs everyone right now and Beth isn't going to leave her alone. "Why aren't we all out there looking? Why are we moving cars?"

"We have to clear enough room so I can get the RV turned around as soon as it's running." Dale responds before Beth can even speak. "Now that we have fuel we can double back to a bypass that Glenn flagged on the map."

"Going back's going to be easier than trying to get through this mess." Shane tells Carol as he joins them. Beth sends him a frown, they had just spent the better part of an hour clearing out cars of anything useful and pushing them into the sloped grass between the two roads only for him to say they should turn around. What a dick.

"We're not going anywhere till my daughter gets back." Beth had had few experiences on being on the receiving end of a mothers glare but she thinks Carol might have the scariest one she's seen yet.

"Of course not Carol, you weren't suggesting that were you Shane?" Beth asks sweetly as Shane twitches his jaw, his hands landing on his hips in a very Rick like manner. He mules over his next few words carefully like he knows if he says the wrong thing then he will be in deep shit.

"Rick and Daryl, they're on it, okay? Just a matter of time." 

"Can't be soon enough for me. I'm still freaked out from that herd that passed us by, or whatever you'd call it." Andrea says as Carol sends Shane one last glare before moving back to watch the trees. Beth nods her head, they can't afford another herd or whatever to come through right now, not when they are separated from three of their group.

"Yeah what was that? All of them just marching along like that?" Glenn asks as he opens a bottle of water and takes a sip, passing it on to Beth who takes it with a sigh, downing half of it in a few gulps.

"A herd. That sounds about right. We've seen it. It's like the night camp got attacked. Some wandering pack, only fewer." Shane says as he exhales slightly and clear his throat. "Okay. Come on, people. We still got a lot to do. Let's stay on it. Let's go, come on." He moves away and Beth watches him go as she heads towards Carol.

"Where is my baby?" Carol sobs again as Beth crouches down slightly and gripes her face in her hands. They are dirty and there is some blood under her chipped nails but it doesn't seem to bother Carol, for her cheeks are already dirty with streaks left from her tears.

"Carol look at me, Daryl and Rick they'll find her alright. They'll be back soon with her." Beth tries her best to reassure the woman, to even reassure herself but this was Georgia where just under half of the state was covered in forest and the chances of finding someone in there weren't the best even before all of this.

"What if they - " Carol begins and Beth tries to cut her off.

"No. I refuse to believe that." Beth talks more to herself before she wraps an arm around the woman and smiles softly. "Why don't we see if we can find her some clothes for when she gets back?" Beth says softly as she holds out her hand and pulls Carol away to the cars.

...

Beth leaves Carol with Glenn and Dale as she heads further into the mess of cars, throwing useless things back into the cars and letting out a sigh. It seems most of the valuable stuff had already been taken by the group and no one had reason for the money left in wallets, or pieces of jewellery on the floor anymore. 

Beth carries on searching, stopping when she sees Shane and Lori arguing as Carl passes by her with a rather large black bag and a face full of fury.

"The way you blew him off just now. You crushed him." Lori scolds Shane, Beth figures they are talking about Carl, figures Shane said something that Lori didn't like and now she's annoyed at him. "I don't believe you. You're giving me the cold shoulder?" Her tone is annoyed as she turns to glare at Shane, who is loading things into a car.

"Isn't that what you want? Aren't you the one who said stay the hell away from him and you?" Shane asks and Beth wants to let out sigh. God, why did everything with those two have to be so dang dramatic and indecisive?

"You forget what happened at the CDC? Your little meltdown in the rec room slip your mind? When you tried - " 

"When I tried to what? What do you think that was?" Shane asks, he's wound up like Lori has hit the nerve she seemed so desperate to poke at. Beth knows she shouldn't be listening - it's rude and her daddy would ground her for a week - but it's also so boring around here sometimes. That doesn't mean she wants the drama, she's got a pretty good idea of what might have happened in that rec room, kind of hopes she's wrong but something tells her she isn't.

"I think it is pretty plain what that was." Lori sounds disgusted now, annoyed and angry.

"A mistake. One that I admit to." Shane says softly, stuttering over his words. That's not a mistake, it's disgusting. "I have a few mistakes under my belt, Lori. So do you." Judging Beth had to be one of them, Beth thinks.

"No debate there. But Shane, we need to stop this." Beth wants to know if they have carried on with their little affair when Rick got back, if they slipped into that rec room and did something behind his back. It angers her to even think about. It angers her to know that Lori didn't even have the guts to tell Rick what Shane might have tried to do to her.

"Why do you think I'm prepping my new ride? I'm leaving."

"Leaving?"

"As in gone for good. Gonna quietly slip away first chance I get." Shane explains. Beth thinks it's a blessing, she doesn't want him around her. And she may not like Lori but she doesn't think having Shane around that woman is good for any of them either. 

Beth sighs as she makes her way out from her little hiding as Shane turns on the engine, it stutters to life, the radio coming with it. " _The emergency alert system has been activated. The office of Civil Defence has issued the following message. Normal broadcasting will cease immediately_." Shane climbs out of the car as the radio carries on, his eyes staring at it as though it was a person. " _This is a civil emergency -_ "

Beth joins Glenn, Dale and Andrea as they walk towards the car. "Is that a local signal?" Glenn asks.

" - _do not venture outside_ \- "

"It's got to be within 50 miles of here." Dale answers his question. 

" - _avoid anyone infected at all costs. Remain calm. Help is on the way_." The radio scrambles slightly before playing again. " _The emergency alert system has been activated. The office of Civil Defence_..." Shane leans into the car to turn it off. 

"Asshole." Shane mutters as he sighs. "Okay. Let's get back to work." He taps the hood of the car as everyone walks away.

  
"Hey Lori!" Beth calls as she jogs to catch up with the woman, making sure Shane is still staying by his car. He is, but he's watching them like he knows exactly what they are going to be talking about. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" Beth asks as she stops beside the woman. It's easy to forget sometimes how tall Lori is when she spends her time hiding away, but suddenly Beth feels like the little girl she's been called so many time in front of this woman.

"Sure."

"I heard what you said to Shane - I don't want to jump to conclusions but why didn't you tell anyone?" Beth asks cautiously as Lori turns to look at her with a frown. Beth can practically see the wheels turning in the womans head. "I mean I know you defended yourself, got him pretty good, but he shouldn't be here in this group if that's what he does."

"Shane is Rick's best friend, has been for a hell of a lot longer than I've been his wife or you've been here." Beth waits for the woman to continue, to say she is scared to tell Rick, worried about ruining his friendship with Shane but she doesn't say any of that. "And what happens between us three is none of your business. You can intrude and say whatever you like but Rick will never be yours."

"For fucks sake Lori, I'm not interested in your husband romantically. I'm here because of what Shane did and to be a decent human being and check on you. You don't have to be such a bitch." Beth snaps, she can't help her anger as she sends one last glare to Lori and then storms away. If that is what she gets for trying to help people then fuck them.

...

"It's late. Gonna be dark soon."

"They'll find her Carol." Beth whispers as she sits beside the woman on the road. The sun is slowly lowering, still light enough that they can see through the slits in the trees in front of them but it won't be for long and her boys are still out there searching. "Bet Sophia has just hid herself real well."

"She was always real good at that, hiding." Carol admits with a sad chuckle, tears falling from the corners of her eyes. Beth doesn't even want to touch on why Sophia was good at hiding, it makes her stomach hurt and her heart clench. "Sometimes I couldn't find her for a couple of hours, and then there she would be, hiding in the bottom of her wardrobe."

"I bet she's hiding now, just waiting for one of us to pass by." Beth whispers as she wraps an arm around the mothers shoulders.

"Thank you Beth." Carol mutters softly as she wipes the corners of her eyes with her top, pulling herself up off the floor and leaning on the metal railing. Beth copies her and nods her head, even though she doesn't think she needs to be thanked. "You're the only one who hasn't made me feel like I'm overreacting."

Beth wants to say something about the dick who made Carol feel like that but Daryl and Rick are coming out of the trees and Beth's never felt more relieved to see them now she does now. Her arms wrap around Rick quickly as he pats her back and then Beth is moving onto Daryl. He's tired and soaked in sweat, it's gross but she is also just glad he is alive which is the only reason why she wraps her arms around him and pulls him into a hug - he freezes under her arms and that's all it takes for her to step away, her cheeks burning once more.

"You didn't find her?" Carol asks, her hands waving at her side as Lori wraps her arms around the woman. Beth feels her heart drop as she looks around, guilt running through her veins as she realises how insensitive she was to run and hug Rick (Daryl's was barely a hug) without even looking for Sophia first.

"Her trail went cold. We'll pick it up again at first light." Rick tries to assure the woman as he climbs onto the road. Beth follows after him as she keeps her head down.

"You can't leave my daughter out there on her own to spend the night alone in the woods." Carol cries as she attempts to get out of Lori's arm but the woman just holds her tighter. "It's not safe out there for a little girl." 

"Out in the dark's no good. We'd just be tripping over ourselves. More people get lost." Daryl explains softly, Beth looks up at him, taking in the soft way he's regarding Carol, his hand gripping the strap of his crossbow and the guilt flitting across his face. Beth can't imagine what he even has to feel guilty about when he spent most of his day out there looking for Sophia.

"But she's twelve. She can't be out there on her own. You didn't find anything?" 

"I know this is hard. But I'm asking you not to panic. We know she was out there." Rick whispers to the woman, holding his hands out in front of him as he tries to get through to Carol. He looks panicked himself and riddled with guilt, his face is red and his shirt is practically drenched with sweat. He run himself raw searching for Sophia only to be glared at and judged. "Tomorrow we have to make this an organized effort. Daryl knows the woods better than anybody. I've asked him to oversee this." Rick tells them all as he stands himself up and sends a look to Daryl. 

"Is that blood?" Carol suddenly yells as she points to the jeans Daryl is wearing. Beth's neck practically cracks with the speed it spins around the check out Daryl, eyes landing on the dark red blood splattered on the bottom of his jeans and her breath leavings her lungs instantly. Worry floods her veins as scenarios run through her head, panic making her hazy. She barely knows him but she doesn't want to lose him - she can't lose him.

"We took down a walker." Rick explains before anyone can begin checking Daryl and just like that Beth feels her breath come back and the panic fade away. Her eyes find Daryl's in the dimming light, taking in his face and everything about him as he gives her a nod to let her know he's alright. "There was no sign it was ever anywhere near Sophia." Rick adds when he sees the panic in Carol's eyes.

"How can you know that?" Andrea asks for the group.

"We cut the son of a bitch open, made sure." Daryl rasps as he steps onto the road, his head in bent but his eyes are on Carol. It's the softest Beth has ever seen him look so far, like he actually is trying his best to make the woman feel better - except none of what he has said is especially comforting to any of them. Cutting walkers up to check what they've eaten is just disgusting.

"Oh god." Carol sighs, it doesn't sound panicked or relieved instead it settles somewhere in the middle as she lowers herself to sit on the metal railing and turns to glare at Rick. "How could you just leave her out there to begin with? How could you just leave her?"

"Those two walkers were on us. I had to draw them off. It was her best chance." Rick says, guilt even more evident on his face. Beth doesn't even know what to say, she understands why Rick did what he did but Sophia is alone somewhere out there and they don't even know if she is alive at this moment. It's terrifying to think about a child alone in this world.

"Sounds like he didn't have a choice, Carol." Shane says softly as he pats the womans shoulder.

"How was she supposed to find her way back on her own? She's just a child. She's just a..."

"It was my only option. The only choice I could make." Rick kneels down in front of Carol, like he is begging for her forgiveness. His hand lands on Carol's knee as he she turns her face away from him and wipes her eyes.

"I'm sure nobody doubts that." Shane says.

"My little girl got left in the woods."

...

Night fell hard and fast, laying a blanket of darkness over their eyes as the most of their group head towards the R.V to settle down for the night, while Shane sat a top of it with a gun in his hand and his eyes scanning the trees. It was one of the main reasons why she had moved to sit beside Daryl on the flatbed of an abandoned truck, her gun gripped tight in her hands.

"Think Fort Benning will be safe?" Beth asks as she leans back onto her hands, turning to look at Daryl from the corner of her eye. Her feet are swinging beneath her and he seems more interested in watching her feet than looking at her face. Which is exactly why Beth grins evilly and lifts them onto his lap as his eyes narrow at her.

"Hell no - get your feet off me." Daryl rasps as he lifts his hands up and finally looks at her face. Beth lets out a gasp as she focuses on those blue eyes once more, feeling her cheeks heat up. Sometimes her brain seemed to forget just how handsome he was.

"But Daryl my feet hurt, pretty sure I've lost a nail." Beth whines as she lets as she pouts at him, leaning forward as she stares up at him and bats her eyes like she would have done to her Daddy or Shawn to get what she wanted but Daryl just stares at her, raising an eyebrow as his eyes travel down to her lips quickly and then back to her eyes.

"All the more reason for you to get them off." He gently shoves her feet off his lap and turns away. Beth rolls her eyes and takes out her half eaten breakfast bar from her bag only to let out a whine when he snatches it out of her hand and finishes it in one bite.

"Daryl!" He just sends her a smirk and throws the wrapper onto the ground below them. Beth pulls out her other breakfast bar, keeping out of his reach as she opens it and takes a rather large bite. "If you don't think it's going to be safe then why are we even going?" Beth asks as she chews around her food, the grains sticking to the roof of her mouth and sweet taste of chocolate chips making her want to moan. She had always been a sucker for chocolate.

"Because Rick said so - can't have a group arguing about what to do, we've got to follow someone."

Beth doesn't respond as she picks at the breakfast bar. She'll follow Rick anywhere because she owes him that much and she trusts him - but these people don't. Not yet, they still look at him like they aren't sure, holding onto the mistakes that have been made because it's easier to do that than to trust someone fully. 

But Fort Benning doesn't seem like the best plan. The C.D.C ended up shit, The Vatos building ended up with everyone dead just like the camp they originally had and now they were planning on driving to an Army post in the hopes that they would finally have some form of safety. Beth was aware that there would probably nothing there and then they would be stuck on the border between Georgia and Alabama with nowhere else to go.

"Hey!" Beth almost lets out a scream as she jumps on the truck, falling onto Daryl as she looks at Glenn. He grins at her, hat backwards on his head for some reason as he jumps onto the flatbed beside her, pushing her further into Daryl who is just tensed underneath her - Beth pulls herself off him and sits back down, elbowing Glenn in the ribs for good measure. "Rick says to let you know we are setting off at first light." He tells them as he leans his head against Beth's shoulder with a sigh, his eyes closing.

"Alright." Daryl mutters with a shrug as his narrow eyes focus on Glenn. "Can you get out of the truck now?" 

If Beth had been stunned by Daryl not ten minutes ago when there was a good bit of space between them, then this had to be something else because he had literally taken her breath away. He was close enough that she could see every line and mole on his face, the way his eyelashes fluttered over those blue eyes, his dark hair just beginning to touch under his eyebrow. 

"No fair, how come Beth gets to stay here?" Glenn whines as Beth turns away from staring at the man beside her. Her body feels like it's on fire and she can hear her heart in her ears. This isn't how it felt with Jimmy or any other boy she had been around, this was more than just butterflies and giggles - it's her feeling like her body might explode.

Beth doesn't even know how this happened. She thought he was attractive but they spent their first few days together fighting until they finally managed to have a decent conversation, he saved her life and he looked out for her and here she is crushing over him and trying not to stare.

"Take her with you." And just like that her body cools down and her annoyance builds as she turns to glare at him. Daryl just smirks at her again and goes to bit the skin off his thumb. 

"Come on man, things are shit in there and I don't want to deal with that." Glenn explains as he looks down at his hands. Beth nods her head as she looks over her shoulder at the R.V, she can't imagine what Carol must be feeling or anyone in there - it's been a pretty shit couple of days and Beth gets the need in having a little break from the sadness.

Daryl lets out a scoff as he leans back onto his hands, his bare arm brushing against Beth as he speaks. "Thought you were a good guy."

"I am but I - I just need a break." 

"Of course you can sit here and keep watch with us Glenn." Beth says as she pats Glenn's arm, elbowing Daryl before he can open his mouth to speak. His blue eyes almost roll to the back of his skull as he lays back on the truck, left arm going to rest behind his head. Beth sends him a small smile as she watches him watch the night.

The three sit in silence for a few minutes. Daryl still laid back and staring at the stars, his crossbow resting between his knees - Beth and Glenn huddled together under the blanket he brought, their weapons in their hands as their eyes scan everywhere for walkers.

"Why are you really here?" Daryl rasps out suddenly. Beth is scared for a second thinking he is talking to her and that she will have to tell him that she's here because he makes her feel safe and comfortable and she clearly has a massive crush on him but he's staring at Glenn so she knows she's safe for the minute.

"Lori was bitching again about everyone and everything like half of us weren't sat there or like Carol isn't devastated - she just doesn't make anything easier and I didn't want to sit and listen to it." Glenn explains as he rubs his hand over his face and pulls off his hat. Beth understands more now, Lori and her ever needing need to bitch about everyone she didn't like.

"Yeah well be grateful it isn't normally aimed at you." Beth mumbles as she thinks back to all the looks she had received in the past two hours. Anyone would think that Beth had ran over her dog with the sort of glares Lori had aimed at her. "Wouldn't be surprised if she dragged me into the forest for simply waving at Rick." Glenn lets out a chuckle as Daryl scoffs behind them.

"Do you two do anything other than gossip?" 

"Oh yeah we just sit back and gossip everyday - you know what, would you be a dear and get us some ice tea?" Beth jokes as she turns to look at him, hand raising as she prepares to pat his knee before she remembers the flinching and tense muscles and decides against it. Daryl rolls his eyes but lets out a little chuckle.

"Sure darlin', want me to hunt down some rabbit while I grab your drinks?" Glenn lets out a cough from beside her and Beth feels her cheeks burn as she bites down on her bottom lip. The way he drawled out the word darling made her stomach twist in the best possible way and her brain had basically just stopped functioning altogether. 

"Did I miss something between you two?" Glenn asks as he points between them and raises his eyebrow. "Do I need to give you guys some space? Is this the sort of situation where I'll need to put some headphones on tonight?" Beth wasn't sure her face could get any redder but then Glenn is grinning at her and she wouldn't be surprised if she looked like a tomato right now.

"If that was the case do you think I'd be doing it on the back of the truck?" Beth almost chokes as Daryl speaks. She can't look at him, not because she doesn't want to but because she's scared she'll say something stupid that has Glenn pissing himself and Daryl staring at her like she's some sort of freak.

"Well Beth was fine with doing it in a barn so I think - "

"Glenn!" She really regrets telling him that, doesn't even know why he would remember that.

It had been her first time with Jimmy and a lot more romantic than it seemed. She had been scared her daddy would find out if she did it in the house and he would never allow her to go over to her boyfriend's house so instead she planned a simple night with a couple of candles and a towel on the second story of the barn. It had been awkward and strange and she had run back to the house the moment it was over. It almost made her smile to remember it.

"More than I needed to know." Daryl snaps slightly as he sits himself up, throwing his crossbow over his shoulder and jumping off the flatbed with a sigh. "Gonna take a lot around." And then he's gone, moving silently between the cars.

"What is the matter with you?" Beth hisses as she turns to face Glenn, pushing herself away from him and wrapping the blanket tightly around herself.

"Nothing, I'm trying to push this little romance novel along."

"Glenn, you were practically pimping me out!" Beth cries as she pushes his shoulder slightly, he lets out a little chuckle as he pushes her back. It's not funny and she knows it isn't but the two of them end up leaning against each other as they laugh together. She doesn't even know why they are laughing, probably because they are exhausted and the day has been a whirlwind of emotions.

"You two want to keep it down?" Shane whispers from the R.V, standing near the edge as he glares at them. Beth rolls her eyes as she tries to fight down her laughter, leaning back into the flatbed and sighing.

Glenn doesn't speak anymore and Beth knows he'll keep an eye out for anything which is the only reason why she lets her eyes close and the pull of sleep lull her away, if only for a couple of hours.

...

The thing about Georgia is when it is hot, it's hot, humid and a struggle to walk for a second without being covered in sweat but then when it's cold, you might as well freeze. Beth can't wait for the winter right now, she's tired of sweating her ass of everyday and not even being able to clean it off properly, she tried of the constant feeling of dehydration and the smells. 

"Everybody takes a weapon." Rick says, breaking Beth out her thoughts, as he slams the black bag that Carl had been carrying around yesterday onto the front of Daryl's truck, pushing it open and showing all the sharp weapons inside. It makes Beth's knife seem so puny and dull compared to them.

"These aren't the kind of weapons we need. What about the guns?" Andrea says as she leans her hand on her hip. Beth moves forward and takes a rather large knife from the pack, moving it around in her hand and staring at the blade. It's sharp and clean, never been used and probably won't end up getting stuck in skulls like her other knife tended to do.

"We've been over that. Daryl, Rick and I are carrying. We can't have people popping off rounds every time a tree rustles." Shane says from where he leans against the R.V, his backpack in his hands and a gun over it.

"It's not the trees I'm worried about." Andrea snaps slightly.

"A weapon is still a weapon Andrea, just take the damn thing and stop arguing. Sophia is the most important thing now." Beth says with a sigh as she places her old knife into her backpack and throws it onto her back. Andrea looks at her as Beth raises an eyebrow at her, daring her to fight back right now.

"Yeah you are right." Andrea agrees as she moves to take her own knife from the pack.

"Say somebody fires at the wrong moment, a herd happens to be passing by. See, then it's game over for all of us. So you need to get over it." Shane carries on speaking as though Beth and Andrea hadn't even opened their mouths. His brown eyes are on them, his jaw tense and his arms crossed - Beth sends him a frown as she crosses her own arms.

"She just agreed, you don't need to drag it on." Shane glares at her coldly but Beth doesn't even care as she turns to face Daryl instead, keeping her eyebrow raised. "So what's the plan?"

"The idea is to take the creek up about five miles, turn around and come back down the other side. Chances are she'll be by the creek. It's her only landmark." 

"Stay quiet and stay sharp. Keep space between you but always stay within sight of each other." Rick adds as he points to the trees and then back to the group, Daryl begins to head away and Beth is quick to follow him, eager to head in the forest and see if they can find the sweet little girl they had lost. She can tell the rest of the group is eager to head off too.

...

The forest is thick with grass, moss and bugs. It reminds Beth of all the times she would sneak through the trees of her family's farm, looking for some hidden place where she could sit and write in her journal about all things that had happened to her during that day. She wonders if those journals are still tucked away in her room, her pens scattered all over her desk just like she had left them or if it's home to walkers now.

It's not something that she wants to think about and one of the main reason she had turned down the offers to get her home. She doesn't want to know what happened to her family. And if they are alive then she is scared to show them the girl she has become in such a short time, it would only disappoint them.

"So did you and Daryl kiss once I left?" Beth rolls her eyes as she turns to look at Glenn beside her. His pickaxe pushing away any branches that get too close to his face as he grins at her - something he seems to be doing a lot lately.

"I fell asleep before you left." Beth reminds him as he shrugs his shoulders and gives her a look. "And it's not like that, we've only just got back on good terms and I'm not even sure if that is where his mind is with me." She feels like a young girl again, looking for reassurance from her friends that her crush likes her back too. But that's not how the world works anymore, she can't spend the rest life fawning over the attractive man ahead of them, not when there are more important things around them; like not dying or being bitten.

"Oh yeah 'cause all the longing looks, flirty comments and blush is totally what happens between 'just friends'." Glenn jokes as he pokes her cheek. "I mean look Bethany, look at me blushing right now."

"Think that's just sunburn." Beth makes sure her face is serious as she lays the back of her hand against his cheek before she gives him a cheeky grin as he bats her hand away.

"I'm wearing a hat." Glenn says as he pulls his hat further down his face, hiding his red cheeks from view. Beth wants to point out that his neck is worse than his face but she doesn't. She knows she is probably going to end up sore by the end of the day, arms and face burnt to fuck like it always was when she worked on the farm (only for a few days before it returns to it's natural pale colour).

"Oh Glenn, you are so simple."

"Fuck - "

"Keep it down the pair of you. We're looking for Sophia, not bringing every walker down on us." For a second time the two of them are being told off by Shane, his brown eyes almost black as he glares at them while he pushes between the two of them. Beth stumbles to the side with her own glare, almost landing on a nearby tree as she watches Lori storm after him and Carl stand beside Glenn.

"Don't worry, Shane is mad at me too." The young boy mutters as he looks down. Beth makes her way back over to them as she places a hand on his shoulder - Shane has no right to upset Carl because he is jealous of Rick and Lori, that's just not right.

"I ain't worried - guys been a dick since I met him." Glenn says with a scoff as he shakes his head. Beth sends him a look as she points to Carl. "Sorry little dude."

"It's fine, you can swear around me." Carl's big eyes look up at them and Beth can't help but smile. He's a cute kid, definitely takes after his mother in a lot of things but his eyes are all his fathers. They show everything he is feeling, give everything about him away and Beth finds it sweet - sweet that he is looking at them with so much trust and kindness.

"I mean the kids got a knife Beth, I think swearing is the least of everyone's worries." Glenn sighs as he swings his pickaxe to take down a branch in his way, grinning like Carl when it falls from the tree. Beth purses her lips as she looks at the knife in Carl's hand, she knows it's right that he has a weapon to defend himself but it doesn't mean she's all that happy about seeing a child hold a knife nearly bigger than his arm.

"For protection, I'm pretty sure swearing doesn't protect you."

"No but it's a good release of emotion." Carl lets out a giggle as Glenn jokes, trying to push the older mans hands away as Glenn tries to ruffle his hair.

The little cheerful moment between the three stops as everyone comes to a standstill in front of them, their eyes on the blue tent hidden between the tree ahead of them. Beth keeps hand on Carl's shoulder, pushing him behind her as the rest of the group move forward, Daryl and Rick kneeling down ahead of them staring through the trees.

"She could be in there." Shane suggests but Beth doesn't think so. Her gut is telling her that Sophia is nowhere near here.

"Could be a whole bunch of things in there." Daryl states like he can read Beth's mind as he moves closer to the tent, his knife gripped tight in his hand, Rick and Shane following behind them.

Daryl moves in first, checking the flaps first before he enters, the flap closing behind him with a gag and a cough. Beth holds out her hand for Carl, she knows Lori will probably accuse her of trying to steal her son as well as her husband but someone has to keep an eye on the boy and clearly he is feeling a bit nervous as his clammy hands wraps around Beth's, his head tucking into the space between her stomach and arm as he turns his back on the tent.

Beth wants to stroke his head and offer him so comfort as Rick calls Carol closer, asking her to speak but her knife is in her hand and she doesn't want to bring that anywhere near his head so she settles for resting her head there.

"Sophia, sweetie, are you in there? Sophia, it's mommy. Sophia. We're all here, baby. It's mommy." Carol calls softly, her voice wavering. There is a rustling inside and a few more coughs as Carl lets out a small sob. "Daryl? Daryl?"

"It ain't her." Daryl says lowly as he comes out of the tent, a frown on his face as he lets out another cough. "Some guy. Did what Jenner said and opted out. Ain't that what he called it?"

"Hey. It's not her, okay?" Beth whispers to Carl as he pulls his head away from her, tears running down his face. Beth gives him a small smile as she pulls her hand away from him to wipe at his cheeks. He stares up at her with those big eyes, his bottom lip shaking - she can see him quickly take a look around as he lowers his head and moves to stand behind her.

No one speaks. They just stay stood there as they figure out what to do next only for the sound of church bells to ring in the distance somewhere. It's a sound that Beth is familiar with having grown up going to Church every Sunday but even with that knowledge it's hard to pin point the sound but then Rick is pointing to a direction and leading them all that way.

"What direction?" Shane asks as they entered a less secluded part of the forest, the tree slightly more spaced out as Beth closes her eyes to listen to the bells.

"Sounds like it's coming from that way." Beth answers as she moves forward towards the sound, her hand reaching out to grab Carl's as she races forward, the sound of feet following them as they duck and run through the trees.

"Dang, it's hard to tell out here." Shane pants from behind her, feet slapping heavily on the ground.

"If we heard them, maybe Sophia does too." Beth shouts over her shoulder, Carl stumbles slightly beside her. Beth knows she is small, strong and able to hold her own, but her arms almost give out as she gestures for him to climb on her back, using one hand to hold him up as she leads the way. Carl gripes onto her tight, his knife faced away from her throat.

"Someone's ringing those bells, maybe calling others." Glenn yells, running beside her, close enough to catch Carl if he lets go but Beth doesn't think he will or that she will let him. She knows he can run by himself but he's so small and they don't have time.

"Or signalling they found her." Andrea says from behind them.

"She could be ringing them herself. Come on." Rick shouts as he runs ahead of Beth, waving his arm behind him as he ducks through the tree. Beth lets out a sigh as she pushes Carl further up on her back and carries on running after his father.

...

The church stand ahead of them, tall and so familiar in it's structure that Beth almost feels like she might have been here once before not that she really has time to focus on that as Carl lowers himself from her back and moves to grip her hand again as they follow Rick through the graves and to the painted red front doors. Beth takes a second to look around as she carefully pushes Carl to stand beside his mother, her knife in her hand as she turns to look at Rick, giving him a nod as he lets out a breath.

"That can't be it. Got no steeple, no bells." Shane hisses as he stands at the bottom of the steps with the rest of the group. Rick ignores him as he holds out his hand for Lori's knife. His wife hands it over with shaking hands and blinking eyes as she wraps her arms around Carl. "Rick, come on man."

Rick ignores him as he gives Beth another nod, his hand gripping the handle of the door. Beth lets out a breath as she prepares herself as best as she can as he pushes the doors open.

It looks the same as most churches, stain glass windows and a single aisle through the chairs leading towards a large statue of Jesus on his cross guarded by a wooden fence. It smells like dust inside but Beth is more focus on the three people turning to look at them. What used to be two men and one woman growl as their yellow eyes flit over the people.

Beth lets out one more breath as she flips the knife in her hand and charges forward with Rick and Daryl - the woman coming towards her. Beth takes a second to look over her attire, the knee length white dress and the matching lace veil hiding her decaying face, something someone might wear to a wedding now stained with blood as Beth sinks her new knife into the unknown womans skull.

It's almost mystifying to watch the knife slide out of the walkers skull as Beth eases her to the ground, the almost black blood coating the knife and dripping onto the carpet below her feet. It's only then that she realises what she has done.

Her eyes find the sad face of Jesus, blood seeping from the thorn crown on his head, the knife shaking in her hand as her feet move her forward toward the statue. She had just killed in the house of God, whether it was for self defence or not - it was still a murder that she had committed without even caring where she was like it didn't even matter.

"Sophia!" Rick's screams so far away as she continues staring forward, trying to focus on the sounds around her but falling short.

"Yo, JC, you taking requests?" Beth finally pulls herself away from the statue as she turns to glare at Daryl beside her, he gives her a confused look as he notices the teary eyes.

"Not here and not now." He looks taken back by the harshness in her tone, even more confused until she gives one last look to Jesus and understanding crosses his face. Beth doesn't wait for a response as she turns away and heads out of the door to stand beside Glenn who gives her arm a rub. He knows about her up-bringing and how important religion had been to her family.

"I'm telling you, it's the wrong church. It's got no steeple, Rick. There's no steeple." Shane yells, his voice echoing through the church, stepping over the bodies and towards his best friend.

The church decides to prove him wrong, the bells ringing again from outside. Loud and clear this time. Beth is moving again pushing past Glenn and taking a second to notice he is holding Daryl's crossbow as she moves on to the side of the Church, letting out a sigh as she stares up at the speakers releasing the sound around them.

Her hand reaches for the little box and switching it off as she takes a step back and rubs her forehead, the chipped nails catching on the loose curls framing her face as she speaks lowly. "It's on a timer, not all churches have steeples anymore."

"I'm gonna go back in for a bit." Carol says softly as she wraps her arms around her stomach, tears already falling down her cheeks as she turns without waiting for an answer and heads into the Church.

Beth doesn't know if she should follow her to check if she's okay but something tells her she might need this time alone, just like everyone seems to as they begin to wander around, either looking for clues or staring at the names on the gravestones - all except one who has sat himself down and is scanning the trees around them, crossbow ready in his arms.

"How'd you learn to track?" Beth asks as she gets closer, rubbing her boots against the long strands of grass. He stares at her with narrowed eyes, lifting his thumb to his mouth and chewing on the edge. "It's a pretty cool talent." Beth wants to cringe as she continues trying to push him, to just find an excuse to talk to him as they wait around.

"You alright?"

"What?"

"Last night - you -" Daryl stutters out but Beth knows what he is hinting at as her mouth falls open and her blood runs cold.

Her night had been plagued with dreams, ones that always ended up with her shooting someone in the head in the bedroom of the R.V. Sometimes she didn't even know who was laid in front of her, sometimes it was a walker and other times it was Jim or Sophia. The last one was the worst, the little girl begging her not to do it - but Beth just ignored her and pulled the trigger.

When she had woken up her body was shivering and there was an intense need to throw up anything that was in her stomach. She had felt dirty and guilty, unable to even look at Carol for more than a second. And now Daryl was staring at her like he knew what she had dreamt about, giving her some sort of sorry look that had her stomach twisting again.

"Yeah I'm fine - I'm - I need to speak to Rick quickly." Beth stutters out as she takes a step away, turning on her heel and heading towards the first people she sees. Andrea and Shane.

"I'm not stupid and I'm certainty not deaf. Look, I don't know the story." Beth hears Andrea cry as she moves closer, watching as the older blond woman reaches out for Shane, trying to turn him back around.

"There is no story."

"Fine, I don't care. Don't confuse me with someone who does. But just so you know you'll be out there all alone and that's not fair on anybody." Andrea snarls as she jumps in front of the taller man, stopping him from walking further away. Shane just glares down at her, hands on his hips as he assesses her, his tongue poking out between his lips.

"You want to come with me, is that what you're saying? We're gonna sail off into the sunset together? We gonna hold hands?" Shane taunts her, head tilting to the side as a sick little smile makes it's way onto his face. Beth rolls her eyes as she takes a step closer, leaning against one of the gravestones - she knows Daryl can probably see her, is probably watching her but she refuses to look back.

"Not at all. This is our group, these are the ones who saved me when I was ready to end it all. We are better together, not heading off alone into the unknown with no protection. But I don't think you should go either." Andrea tries to explain and Beth is reminded how far she has come in such a short time. If this had been a couple of days ago then Andrea might have jumped at the chance to leave.

"It's not your choice Andrea, plus you know as well as me that we don't fit into this group. There is no place for us - me, you and Beth have no one here for us." Shane says as he notices Beth. She glares at him, knowing how uneasy a pair of cold blue eyes can make a person feel but she doesn't like how he is lumping her with him.

"Speak for yourself." Beth spits as him as she stand beside Andrea. "There's no better place for us. If you want to leave them you can leave, I ain't gonna stop you." 

"I figured." Shane mutters as he moves past the two blonds, Beth rolls her eyes but follows him towards Rick and the group who are exiting the church.

"Got to move here, man. These people are spent. There's only so many hours of daylight left. We still got a long way back." Shane says. Beth takes a look at the group, they are tired, yes, but she knows they would all agree that searching for Sophia is more important than heading back to the highway so they can sit down and wait for tomorrow.

"We still need to find Sophia."

"You following me now?" Shane snarls as he turns to face Beth before he thinks better of it as he sees Rick send him a look. "We still got a lot of ground to cover, whole other side of the creek bed. So we search that on the way back." Shane says as though it's the easiest and simplest thing in the world.

"She would have heard those church bells. She could be nearby." Beth points out as she raises an eyebrow and dares him silently to contradict her.

"She could be a lot of things." That is so fucking out of line. Her mother is stood not five feet away from them, can probably hear the two of them arguing - listening to a former police officer insinuate that her daughter could be anything else but alive right now. Beth doesn't like Shane, she knows who he is, has heard what he's attempted to do but saying things like that just gets her riled up.

Rick gives her a look as though he can see where he mind is heading, nodding his head to the group behind them. Beth wants to disagree, to tell him she isn't leaving his side or backing down from this but she knows she won't win here, that Shane isn't going to stop fighting with her because Rick is there and he won't care what he says or who he hurts as long as he makes his point.

So she does as she's asked and moves away with one final glare, moving to stand between Glenn and Andrea as the two men whisper to each other, bickering back and forth about what to do.

Shane is the first to move, clearing his throat and trying to hide the annoyed look on his face as he speaks. "Y'all gonna follow the creek bed back, okay? Daryl, you're in charge. Me and Rick, we're just gonna hang back, search this area another hour or so just to be through." Beth knows she's safe with Daryl but she wonders if Rick is safe with Shane.

"You're splitting us up. You sure?" Daryl turns to Rick to ask, lifting his crossbow onto his back.

"Yeah, we'll catch up to you." Shane answers for them, jaw ticking slightly as he rolls his eyes.

"Think he was talking to Rick."

"It will be fine Beth." Rick assures her as he moves closer, brushing a stray hair away from her face like he would do with Carl, like her daddy would do to her. And she wants to believe him, wants to take comfort in the simple action but that's hard to do when Shane is standing not two feet away from her smirking like he has won the argument. Beth wants to let him know that if Rick doesn't come back from this then she'll be kicking him to the walkers the next time she sees him but she can't do that here so she settles for a glare that hopefully conveys her message.

"I want to stay too. I'm her friend." Carl says as he steps forward. Beth watches him, thinking back to the boy who not an hour ago was gripping onto her like she was his life-line. If she was his parents she'd tell him no, that he was too scared to face what is out there but she's not so it can't be her choice.

"Just be careful, okay?" Lori mutters softly as she cups her sons face, pulling him into her chest and wrapping her arms around him. Beth doesn't hear his response but she sees the small smile on Lori's face. "When did you start growing up?"

"Here, take this. Remember how to use it?" Beth frowns as she stares at Rick's gun, gently pushing it away from her as she shakes her head and blinks at him. She isn't going to take his only form of defence, not at all, not when he might need it more than she would.

"Rick, you'll need it more than me - I've got my knife." Beth says as she lifts her arm to show him the bloody knife.

"Here, got a spare. Take it." Daryl is there suddenly, offering her a small pistol that probably doesn't have good range but it will do the trick if she needs it too. She gives him a small smile as she watches Rick walk back to the church. "Start heading off, I'll be a minute." Daryl doesn't say anything as she gently takes the gun from him and tucks it into her holster, he just gives her nod and watches as she follows after Rick.

...

Beth hadn't wanted to walk back into this church again, she especially hadn't wanted to see the bodies laid inside, their brains scattered across the floor but she needs to see Rick, needs to know he is okay before she heads off into the woods with the group and if that means walking back inside here then so be it. She'll do it for him.

"I don't know if you're looking at me with what?" He's kneeling in front of Jesus, his hands gripping the fence and his head is bent as he lets out a sigh. "Sadness? Scorn? Pity? Love?"

"God nor Jesus look at people like that, they don't judge us for our mistakes, not like we do anyway." Beth whispers as she kneels beside him, clasping her palms together and staring up at the statue above her. She can see Rick looking at her from the corner of her eyes and sends him a small smile. "We just have to ask for forgiveness."

"You've done this before, why don't you tell me what to say?"

"I can't say it for you but I've been meaning to pray myself." Beth says lowly as she closes her eyes and places the palms of her hands and her fingers together. "Father... I was always taught you were forgiving, that you were kind and just towards those who followed your rules...which is why I ask for your forgiveness today for doing what I did." Beth knows Rick is staring at her, waiting. "And to ask that you not punish a lost little girl who is in need of your help, that you help us find her and that you keep us safe. I also ask that you watch over my family, my friends and myself. Amen." 

Beth feels like she has so much more to say. So much anger inside her at Him but she can't bring herself to say, especially not when Rick seems to be searching for some sort of answers. That be unfair and cruel to him.

"I guess you already know I'm not much of a believer. I guess I just chose to put my faith elsewhere. My family, mostly. My friends. My job. The thing is, we - I could use a little something to help keep us going. Some kind of...acknowledgement. Some indication I'm doing the right thing. You don't know how hard that is to know. Well, maybe you do. Hey look, I don't need all the answers. Just a little nudge. A sign. Any sign will do. Amen." It's broken and awkwardly put together but it's so Rick that Beth can't help but smile slightly as he stands up, her arms wrapping around his stomach as she rests her head on his chest.

"Be safe." Beth whispers as she lets go of him, placing a quick friendly kiss on his cheek.

"You too." 

...

It doesn't take her long to re-join with the group. Not since Glenn stood further away from them, stopping to occasionally look over his shoulder for her, his new white hat easy to spot in the distance but then again so is his waving hand and brilliant grin that has her smiling too, something which falls off pretty quickly as the group stay silent as they walk back towards the highway.

"So this is it? This the whole plan?" Carol asks as she sits herself down on a fallen tree trunk.

"I guess the plan is to whittle us down into smaller and smaller groups." Daryl says as everyone stops to turn to look at Carol.

"At least they are out there looking. That's the main point." Beth says as she takes her bottle of water out from her backpack and takes a sip, passing it to Glenn as she closes her backpack up and throws it back on her back. Checking her gun with one hand and frowning when she sees it is missing one bullet.

"With only one gun between us." Beth rolls her eyes at Lori's tone. "And with a child behind it." Beth turns to glare at Lori, the woman just keeps digging and digging when her husband isn't around. 

"Why, you want it? Here, take it." Beth snaps as she holds out the gun to Lori who stares at her in shock. "I am so sick and tired of the looks and comments towards me. I get it, you're upset about whatever has annoyed you today but stop blaming me."

"I'm not blaming you."

"Yes you are, it is in your face every time you look at me, and I'm not even sure why. I have never slept with your husband, I have only ever been a friend to him and yet for whatever reason you have some big problem with me that causes you to bitch about me behind my back like some second grader." Beth snaps out as Lori rolls her eyes and puts on her best mother face which is nothing compared to what Annette used to do.

"Beth - "

"No she's right." Andrea stops Lori from speaking. "Girl has been through enough without you piling all your shit on top of her. Point is your husband trusts Beth more than anyone here, gave her a gun because he knows she will protect us all with it - he didn't give it to you because you can barely hold a knife. So either move on or just stop talking. We are wasting daylight." Andrea adds, Beth feels touched that Andrea - the woman who used to glare at Beth is now standing up for her.

"Thank you." Beth whispers to Andrea.

"Anytime."

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was it?
> 
> I know there isn't big changes yet but the small ones I've made are going to lead to big ones. Like Daryl saving Shane (can't wait for what that unravels later), Andrea choosing the group instead of leaving with Shane and Lori being an even bigger bitch.
> 
> Things are slowly but surely going to be different.
> 
> I hope you liked it enough. Please comment and like. Stay safe and take care of yourselves.
> 
> I will try to get the next chapters up as soon as possible but please bare with me.
> 
> You guys are amazing!


	8. Bloodletting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello I am back with another chapter and an immense amount of gratitude to the lovely people who comment on my story! You are all amazing and you help me through the shit going on in the world and I will forever be grateful to every single one of you.
> 
> Unfortunately this chapter is a bit shorter. As is the next one, but in a way these two next chapters are a bit more focused on some of the lighter moments before we get to the farm and all Hell breaks loose😄 can't wait.
> 
> Anyway I hope you are all safe, staying healthy and just taking care of yourselves in general. Thank you for coming back and reading the next chapter.
> 
> I don't own The Walking Dead.

There are certain times lately when Beth feels like she is sinking into her own head, lost in the murky seas of dark thoughts and crushing feelings of agony that run through her blood. Right now is one of those times. 

It all started when the gunshot rang out through the trees, causing her to flinch and trip over her own feet. It felt like her own blood had frozen in her veins and her face was paler than ever before. She was scared. Absolutely terrified about not knowing what had just happened, knowing somewhere deep inside her that that gunshot was going to change their course for better but most likely for worse. It made her withdraw, her brain forcing her to focus on the memories she wanted nothing more than to forget.

Jim.

It always came back to Jim. A gunshot would ring around her and she would feel like she was back in that tiny bedroom in the R.V pulling that trigger once more. If she closed her eyes then she could see him laid dead on the bed, the blood splatter below his head and staining the pillow, the cold feeling of the gun in her hand. It was all her mind seemed to ever think about, it was all it could keep thinking about right now.

Beth had learned about what trauma could do to a person at school but she never thought she would be one of those people. Her life had always been relatively easy, she was a pretty girl who's father owned a rather successful farm and who's mother doted on her. Straight A's in everything it seemed until the day when it wasn't.

Her dreams were plagued with what she had done, things she would never have imagined herself doing because once upon a time it just seemed so wrong. And her day was a constant battle to push those things away but it was hard. It was so dang hard to have to remember that this wasn't a world were daydreaming was an option, not if she wanted to live which she did. But then there was guns shooting around her and ones ringing throughout the trees and all she could do was drift away from herself.

Was she supposed to be used to guns firing?

No. Not even people who used a gun everyday were probably used to it as much as they thought and Beth...well...her knowledge of guns had always been limited to knowing how to shoot and clean. She had never been taught how to aim at a person Hell bent on eating her, or someone alive asking for one last request.

If her daddy knew that she had put her knowledge against shooting someone in the head then he wouldn't even want to look at her again. It wouldn't matter to him if she did it out of the kindness in her heart, all he would see was a monster who was more than capable of shooting anyone because she could. And truth was that's how Beth saw herself too; A person slowly twisting into something evil and dark.

Yet there was a small part of her brain that fought against it. That told her she wasn't evil, impure maybe but she was still good. Good enough to risk her life for these people around her, good enough for the father and son in the forest that were hopefully safe but with the way her stomach was twisting it just didn't seem like it.

Because something was wrong. Something was so very wrong and she didn't even know what.

It reeked havoc on her mind as she moved behind her group, barely even recognizing the people around her or even hearing their voices. Beth wanted to turn, hightail because through the trees and find out why that gun had been fired. If Rick and Carl were ok, if it had just been a cautious ring but she couldn't. Hell she didn't even know where they were or how to find them.

"Man, I would kill for some of my moms Japchae right now." The words floated around her, sounding like they were behind a thick wall of glass until her brain can recognize them, piecing them together like a puzzle.

It's an effort to pull herself back, like pulling her knife from a fresh walker brain, but she does it with some struggle, her eyes turning to look at Glenn staring at her with the same easy smile on his face. Beth would think it was annoying to be so cheerful all the time, especially with where they were now, but she can see the concern in his eyes as he stares back at her, hear the forced lightness to his voice.

"Sorry?" Beth asks as she cringes. Korean food had never been something her parents had eaten, they stuck to things their families had passed down and that didn't involve anything like what Glenn might have grown up with.

"It's delicious, glass noodles with veg and meat, my Eomma always made it for special occasions like birthdays...I miss it." Beth can feel his pain, the hurt that sinks deep within his veins as he thinks about the people he has probably lost and everything along with it. Beth misses it too, misses the thought of wrapping her mother in a hug and arguing with Maggie.

"Sounds lovely - I miss my mama's biscuits and gravy - her fried chicken, so I know how you feel."

Everyone knew how they felt. Most of their parents were gone now, or unknown, but they can sit and talk about it together, share fond memories that makes them feel like their mothers might actually still be there with them. Beth thinks if Annette Greene isn't still alive then she is most certainly looking down on her right now, watching her with one of her impossibly kind smiles and encouraging her with those gentle words everyone always loved.

Or maybe she's scolding her daughter, angry at her for what she had done, the sins she had committed. Maybe she's not watching over Beth at all because she doesn't what to be disappointed by girl that was once so sweet.

"You still worrying about it?" Andrea calls breaking Beth out of her thoughts as she follows the womans eyesight. Lori is stood behind them all, hands on her hips as she looks around the trees as though they will tell her what happened.

"It was a gunshot." Lori speaks adamantly, like they've been doubting her or fighting her about what they all heard as clear as day. 

"We all heard it." Daryl rasps as he rolls his eyes. They had all heard it, all stopped what they were doing as they waited for a sign from Rick or Shane or even a walker but nothing came afterwards. The trees had remained silent, blowing gently in the slight breeze and the people had been frozen and unsure until Daryl had them moving again, faster than before.

"Why one? Why just one gunshot?" 

"Maybe they took down a walker." Daryl drawls out with a shrug of his shoulders. Its obvious to Beth, maybe everyone, that he doesn't want to be having this conversation when they could be continuing walking and keeping an eye out for Sophia - Beth can't blame him, they don't even know what had happened but they do know a little girl is out there waiting to be found.

"Or maybe they - I don't know killed a squirrel or something." Beth doesn't mean to be funny, no she is trying to settle the growing worry in Lori and herself, but that doesn't mean that a few people don't chuckle as she shrugs her shoulders innocently avoiding the glare that Lori is now sending her way. "They haven't got a crossbow, might have found something for dinner." 

"Please don't patronize me. You know Rick wouldn't risk a gunshot to put down one walker or a squirrel. Or Shane. They'd do it quietly." Lori snaps as she turns around to glare at Beth. Beth can't help but roll her eyes and try her best not to answer back to the woman. Beth could agree with her and give her everything she wanted to hear but Lori would probably still find a problem with that.

That is what she gets for trying to help.

"Shouldn't they have caught up with us by now?" Carol asks in her own worry as Beth fights back a sigh. She gets all the worry, feels it herself, but it won't do them no good if half of their already small group is out in the forest panicking about a gunshot they know nothing about, so she settles for channelling Rick by placing her hands on her hips and letting out a sigh that grabs everyone's attention. 

"Maybe but we don't know - I get the worry everyone is probably feeling right now but we need to focus. It's a whole lot of echoes out here and not a lot of chance at pinpointing that noise." Beth explains as softly as she can, avoiding looking at anyone as she settle for looking at her shoes while Glenn speaks.

"So what do we do?"

"Same as we've been. Beat the bush for Sophia, work our way back to the highway." Daryl explains as he tugs on his crossbow strap and narrows his eyes at anyone who even thinks about opening their mouth to object. Beth watches as everyone else begins moving through the bushes, everyone one except herself, Carol and Andrea.

"I'm sure they'll hook up with us back at the RV." Andrea whispers as Lori passes by them, her head down and her hands clutching at the straps of her backpack. She doesn't answer, just nods her head and moves forward leaving Andrea to turn and look at Carol. "I'm sorry for what you're going through. I know how you feel."

"I suppose you do. Thank you." Carol says as she moves away from the woman, a sad smile on her face. "The thought of her out here by herself...It's the not knowing that's killing me. I just keep hoping and praying she doesn't wind up like Amy. Oh god. That's the worst thing I ever said." Beth looks down as Andrea's face goes white. "I'm sorry."

"Hey Carol, why don't you walk with Glenn?" Carol nods her head as Beth intervenes between the two women, she knows that Andrea won't so anything, especially since she gives Carol a soft smile. The two blonds watch the woman walk off.

"I hope you know she didn't mean to upset you." Beth whispers as she pats Andrea's shoulder. The elder woman let out a shaky breath, a small bit of colour returning to her face as she nods her head and forces a small smile on her face.

"I just hope she knows we are all praying with her, whatever that's worth." Andrea says back. Carol gives her a smile as Daryl make his way over to her.

"I'll tell you what it's worth - not a damn thing." Beth can feel her temper simmering at his words, thinking he has gone back to being cruel when he surprises her. "It's a waste of time all this hoping and praying. 'Cause we're gonna locate that little girl, she's gonna be just fine. Am I the only one zen around here? Good lord." 

...

Beth had lived in Georgia all her life but that still didn't mean she was used to the heat or the humidity. Or even the insects that seem to linger around her, biting every inch of her they could find causing her to itch something awful. It was a part of life that she had always hoped she would become used to yet every time it got too hot Beth was right back to where she started. Hating the heat and hoping for the cold.

Her mind is getting away from her again, drifting off like a piece of wood in a rough ocean while she does everything in her power to pull it back. It's the reason why she is stuck beside Glenn, everyone else is focused on their feet or the trees around them, not bothered about speaking but Glenn is more than happy to indulge her.

"Water?" Not exactly the conversation starter she was hoping for but she'll take it anyway. It's slightly warm but none the less very refreshing and she wants to drink the whole thing but she can't so she hands it back to Glenn with a grimace and stiff hands.

"Thanks." Beth mutters as they carry on walking, Glenn seeming content with the silence but Beth isn't. "Think one day you can make me that japchae you were talking about?" Glenn lets out a little laugh that has her blushing in embarrassment and tilting her head away from her friend. "Did I say it right?"

"Kind of...just need all the ingredients - tell you what, next time we go for a grocery shop I'll make sure to pick them." Glenn laughs out sarcastically as he turns to give her a cheeky grin. Beth can't help but let out something between a scoff and a laugh as she stares ahead.

"You know my mama never made any cooking like that, makes me feel bad that I missed out on all of it." Beth explains as she steps over a large fallen tree, it's bark cracking slightly beneath her feet, some of it even breaking off. Beth isn't lying when she says she feels bad, there was so many foods she never got to try and it annoys her that she probably never will.

"Well Bethany you should feel bad. Can't believe you didn't try out all the Korean restaurants in farmland Georgia."

"You know, you are being incredibly sarcastic right now - and here I am trying to be nice and build up the courage to ask you to teach me some Korean." Beth jokes slightly as she sends him a mocking glare that has the corner of his mouth twitching up and his eyes scanning the trees quickly as he twirls the pickaxe around his hand.

"Ah yes - I forgot how high in command it was to learn languages these days." Glenn jokes as Beth takes her turn to roll her eyes.

"Because I'm so busy with the rest of my studies." Beth lets out a gasp as she speaks, bringing her arms up to her chest and looking around in panic. "I forget I've got A.P Science, English and P.E this morning...oh no wait that was before the world turned to shit." Her voice turns dry at the end as she raises her eyebrows as Glenn scoffs.

"Who's being sarcastic now? Alright, I'll teach you one thing...annyeonghaseyo." Beth has no idea what he has even said as her brain tries to comprehend what to do with the new word. Her tongue rolls around in her mouth, all heavy and unsure as it tries to find a place to start the word. Glenn gives her a look as he wipes the sweat from his forehead.

"An...anny - can you say it again but slower?" 

"Annyeonghaseyo."

"An-yeong-ha-se-yo - what does that mean?" Her accent sounds so thick that Beth isn't even sure she is the one who said it. Her throat draws out every syllable, making it sound like more of a question or like a child who is learning a new word, it makes Glenn chuckle but there is a tinge of sadness in his eyes that makes Beth think he might be thinking about his own parents, probably the last people he Korean with.

"Hello."

"That's awesome, thank you." Beth cries out with a grin. She mutters the word under her breath, rolling it around her head a few times and trying her best to mimic the way Glenn said it like it was so natural and normal which she supposes for him it is.

"You two done over there?" Speaking of accents well...Beth doesn't think it's possible for Daryl to be more attractive until his words are drawled at them and those blue eyes are staring right at her. It's the reason why she is blushing under his gaze right now as he glares at them as though they are causing problems and not just speaking like two friends.

"Don't be jealous, I can teach you too." Glenn jokes as he sends Daryl a wink. Beth holds her hand to her mouth as she tries to cover her laugh when Daryl's eyes go wide and his face turns red as he lets out a scoff.

"We'll lose the light before too long. I think we should call it." Daryl quickly changes the subject, avoiding Glenn's smirk as he turns to face the rest of the group. Beth is still chuckling and resisting the urge to poke those cute red cheeks that stand out from a mile away.

"We'll pick it up again tomorrow?" Carol asks, her eyes wide as she looks around. Beth gives her a smile as she moves forward to clasp the womans hands in her own.

"Without a doubt Carol." If Carol doubted her before than she didn't know. Her face smoothed over and her head nodding at the conviction in Beth's voice. Beth in no way would not come back tomorrow, even if she had to do alone then she would be out here looking for Sophia as best as she could.

...

Her legs are ready to give in and her hand wants to drop the knife clutched tightly in her fingers in favour for lying down for the evening - but who knows how long they have left to walk after what seems like hours and hours none stop. She doesn't want to complain or even say anything but every step the tight line of her mouth is loosening.

"How much farther?" The words are practically panted out from between her lips but she manages to keep the annoyance and tiredness out of it. Doesn't matter to Lori though because the woman is letting out a sigh that has Beth glaring at her back.

"Not much. Maybe a hundred yards as the crow flies." Daryl says to them, Beth doesn't even really have the energy to even understand how far that is at the moment but at least they aren't miles away. So she focuses on his arms, the crossbow now held between them and the taunt line of muscle that tenses every few seconds.

"Too bad we're not crows." Glenn jokes as he flaps his arms slightly like he might just start flying. Beth lets out a small laugh as he nudges her, causing her to stumble over her feet and into Andrea, the two of them almost falling to the ground.

"Oh. Fuck!" Andrea lets out as she straightens herself up, Beth pulling her away from the giant spiderweb ahead of them and the trees that seems to be grouping more together. "As the crow flies, my ass." Beth can't help but let out a little laugh at the annoyance in Andrea's tone as she follows behind the blond, slightly away from their group.

"Sorry."

Whatever Andrea was going to say was cut off as she pulls Beth out of the way sending the her stumbling to the ground and her knife sliding out of her hand. Beth lets out a gasp as she turns around, scrambling for her knife as the familiar growls reach her ears and Andrea lets out a cry, the walker trying to grab at her ankles as she does her best to move out of the way.

Beth blinks out of her shock as she hears the cries of people from behind her, her pale fingers wrapping tightly around the her knife as she stands herself up, giving a low whistle that captures the walkers attention, decaying eyes turning to stare at her. Beth thanks her luck that the walkers moves away from Andrea, stumbling towards Beth as she moves further into the trees and away from the group.

"Beth!" Andrea hisses as she climbs onto her feet, coming up behind the walker but Beth doesn't focus on her as she pushes the best man onto the tree, her arm pressing against his neck and knocking his head back into the tree. Her knife sinks into the brain through under the chin, blood leaking out slowly as the dead man slumps against her arm.

"You alright?" Beth turns to ask Andrea, she can hear the calls of their group a bit away from them but Beth doesn't answer as she looks over Andrea, checking for any bites and grimacing when she notices she blood covered hands. 

"Yeah."

"Lori? Lori Grimes? Whoa." The two blonds snap their heads in unison towards the slowly sound of hooves and the cry of a woman.

Beth feels her stomach twist once more, nothing to do with the literal blood on her hands but because she knows that voice. Had spent the past eighteen years of her life listening to it scold her, laugh with her and speak to her - and the past two/three months had been void of that voice only to suddenly hear it again.

"I'm Lori."

"Rick sent me. You've got to come now." Beth moves slowly through the trees, her hand gripping Andrea's tightly as they peek through the trees. Brown bobbed hair framing tan skin and startling green eyes has Beth pinching herself as she tries to figure out if she's dreaming right now. "There's been an accident. Carl's been shot. He's still alive but you've got to come now. Rick needs you. Just come." 

"Whoa whoa whoa. We don't know this girl. You can't get on that horse." Everything feels like a million miles away, even Daryl's voice which could normally pull her back might as well be a whisper.

"Rick said you had others on the highway, that big traffic snarl?" The woman speaks, she doesn't even look at Beth or Andrea as Lori climbs on the back of her horse and Beth doesn't even think she can move as she watches, tunnel vision beginning to sink in slowly. The green eyed woman just looks to Glenn, raises her eyebrows and waits for a confirmation. 

"Uh-huh." Glenn is staring at her like he's seen some sort of angel. 

"Backtrack to Fairburn road. Two miles down is our farm. You'll see the mailbox. The name is Greene." Beth stumbles out of the trees as the horse turns and gallops away, neither woman looking back to even say goodbye. It breaks Beth's heart as she lets out a small breath, leaning back against a tree and trying her best to focus on something.

"Beth?"

"Maggie?" Beth cries out as she lowers her head. Everything is jumbled in her head, confusion and fear settling into her brain as she closes her eyes and tries to stop the ringing in her ears. She knows everyone is looking at her but she's also aware that if she opens her eyes then she might begin crying.

"Is that - "

"I didn't even realise how close we were to the farm - I - she's alive." The words came out fast, tumbling together and barely even recognizable to her own ears as she forces her eyes open. Her stomach twists painfully and her skin breaks out in a cold sweat that has her leaning over and throwing up the little food in her belly, her nails digging into the bark of the tree.

"Hey, you alright?" Daryl is beside her, one large warm hand resting on her shoulder. Beth wants to curl into him, she even makes a move to do so but the first step she takes ends rapidly when her vision turns black and the worried cries of the group fade into nothing,

...

"Beth?" Beth hears Dale before she sees him, hears the concern in his vision as she blinks tiredly against the sun, a warm body resting against her side and a gentle swaying that comes from being carried. It doesn't even take her long to know who's carrying her, not from the tobacco and woodsy smell that seems to permanently linger on his. "What happened? Are you alright?"

The highway looks the same as they left it, cars littered everywhere and scavenged for anything they could use, Dale stood waiting for them at the railing and T-Dog not far behind him, both their eyes on Beth.

"She's fine, it's just shock. Some woman turned up for Lori, said Carl was shot and then left." Daryl quickly rasps out as he strolls up the slight hill like he was just walking down a street. If Beth is heavy then he isn't giving it away just yet, his arms steady beneath her and his breath easy and controlled - it doesn't help Beth to be in this position, able to stare up at his face.

"Shot? What do you mean shot?" 

"I don't know, Dale. We wasn't there. All I know is this chick rode out of nowhere like Zorro on a horse and took Lori." Glenn moves past them, climbing over the rail and turning to Daryl, his hands held out like he is waiting for him to pass Beth over.

Daryl stares down at them with narrowed eyes as his jaw tenses. It's like he is debating whether he should hand over Beth or not. He hand clenching around her waist and under her knees as he lets out a small grunt, gently passing Glenn Beth. Beth doesn't even care, she just knows right now her legs might give out if she walks.

Glenn seems to handle her weight with a bit less ease than Daryl as he dips slightly and huffs out a breath. Beth gently slaps his chest, she wants to roll her eyes or make a comment but her body just feels so weak and unable to move.

"You let her?" Dale asks Daryl with shock, his voice rising.

"Climb down out of my asshole, man. Rick sent her. She knew Lori's name and Carl's." Daryl growls as he glares down at Dale, reaching out to snatch Beth from Glenn, gripping her tight against his chest. Beth sighs as he leans her head on his hard chest, smiling when she hears the rumble from beneath her ear like he just can't help it.

"It's Maggie, my sister - Lori will be fine." Her voice is slurred as she curls her hands underneath her chest. Glenn is stood beside Daryl, a bottle of water in his hand and his other hand reaching out to rub her arm gently.

"Well...I heard screams. Was that you?" Dale asks as he turns to look at Andrea who nods her head with a sigh, sitting beside Carol who looks a second away from breaking down. Beth wants to climb out of Darryl's hard but yet so comfy arms and hug the woman but her brain doesn't seem fully capable of telling her body to move unless it's to curl herself into Daryl more.

"There was a walker. I'm fine...Beth saved my ass." Andrea says softly as she pushes herself up and wraps Dale in a hug, her chin moving to rest on the older mans shoulder as she lets out a slight laugh. "I'm gonna go wash up." 

...

Daryl places her gently inside the R.V, at the table she had been sat around with Andrea and Shane not one day ago. His hands are rough but move soft over her face as he looks over her, neither of them speaking as he grabs the rag from his back pocket, wetting it with some bottled water and running it over her face gently.

Beth is surprised, pleasantly surprised at the care he is showing her. For someone so rough and harsh, he can be so gentle, those blue eyes scanning over every inch of her face like he's looking for something but isn't sure what. Beth can't help but let her lips curl into a smile as she stares at the tan skin, the dark hair sticking to his forehead with sweat and tongue running beneath his teeth.

It had never felt like this with Jimmy. Pure silence where no one spoke but it felt like they were saying a million words between them, with Jimmy there had never been a moment of silence. His fingers tips never left a trail of fire behind like Daryl's did, his lips never looked as kissable as the ones in front of her right now nor did their most intimate moments feel as charged as this moment did.

It seems Daryl feels the same too. His hand slowing as his eyes finally settle on hers, his breathing sounding a little more panicked as Beth leans closer slightly - her eyes flicking to his lips in a quick warning as she moves even closer.

"Hey." Daryl moves backwards quickly, ears bright red as the two of them turn to see Andrea coming out of the bathroom, her eyebrows raised and a smirk on her mouth as she looks between them like she had caught them doing something they shouldn't have. It sorts of feels like they might have been with the way Daryl is dodging her eyes.

"Help her change." His voice comes out like he hasn't drank water in days, dry and harsh as he turns quickly, rummaging through the bag of clothes by the door and throwing one at Andrea.

"Think you would enjoy - "

"Daryl, I'm fine - I can change by myself." Beth hates how timid and unsure she sounds as she looks down at the blood splattered on her clothes, feeling her cheeks heat up as she taps her foot against the floor. Some dirt falls out from under her boot, collecting on the floor below her and her instinct is to clean it but she doesn't want to move.

"Fine." Daryl growls out as Beth hears the door open, slamming against the outside with a bang that is probably going to call attention to them. A sigh leave his mouth as he steps forward, Beth able to see the tips of his boots from where she looks down. "Stay with her." 

"Got yourself a real guardian there." Andrea whispers as she sits across from Beth, placing the shirt onto the table. It doesn't sound mean or annoyed but instead calm and maybe said with a smile. Beth looks up slowly, staring at the door now closed, feeling her heart ache slightly. She doesn't know what she was thinking when she moved forward like she might kiss him, like this is the time to try start something with a man who probably sees her as nothing more than a sister. "Come on, lets get you changed."

"You don't need to - "

"It's not a problem, honestly Beth." 

Andrea smiles as she hands Beth the shirt. It's a dark red flannel and probably belonged to man, but it has Beth blushing as she thinks about how it would look on Daryl with it's ripped sleeves, tight over his chest and under that leather vest. The vision leaves Beth quickly as she inhales the scent on it, finding it smells clean with a bit of dust.

Ignoring the knowing look on Andrea's face as she pulls the shirt away with a frown, staring down on it in her lap until she lets out her sigh. Her old and stained shirt ends up on the floor, a spotted red pile of cloth that would probably be better thrown away instead of washed but clothes are hard to find and who cares if the smell of sweat never leaves them. She knows for certain the new red shirt she's wearing will stink something awful in just a few hours but for right now she relish the clean fabric against her skin.

"Better?"

"As good as I can be." Beth whispers as she thinks back to Maggie on the horse, the only issue her elder sister had was finding out where Lori was, not noticing her baby sister a few feet away. "I guess I just didn't expect it - I didn't even realise where we were. Feel stupid."

The Greene family had always been the sort of family who would try their best to share how they felt, Beth was never an exception, in fact she was always the person who overshared - still was by the way Glenn seemed to know every bit of her life right down to the fine details. Her elder siblings had struggled, always filled with some sort of anger for their mixed family. And now Beth feels the same too, awkward and fearful that if she tells Andrea too much then it will be used against her.

But Andrea is looking at her with a kind smile and understanding eyes clear of any judgement she might feel for Beth being open with her. It's like talking to Rick or Glenn, it calms her, makes her feel as though she can trust them.

"Not stupid at all, in fact if you would have had any other reaction then I would have been worried more about you." Andrea says with a shrug as she sits across from Beth. "Before when I was in court, or taking a case I saw people be reunited, some after a few years and some only a couple of months but they all were pretty much the same, excitement and shock."

"You were a lawyer?"

"Yeah, Civil Rights." Andrea answers as she rests her head onto her hands, a sad smile on her face. Beth wonders what that must have been like, to have finished high school and experienced things the world had to offer, to have had a job and a life before the whole world went to shit - it's something she longed for but now would always remain out of her reach. "I need to thank you for earlier."

"Nothing you wouldn't have done for me." Beth tells her because she knows it's true now. The two of them have bonded despite their shaky start, seen things in each other than no one else could or no one else wanted too.

"I just froze, I dropped my weapon and laid there. I thought I was stronger." Andrea admits, her eyes growing wet as she places her face in her hands and lets out a small sob. Beth gently reaches over to pull the hands away, making the woman look at her.

"You pushed me out of the way, tried to keep me out of harm. Just because you were scared, that doesn't mean you aren't strong." Beth whispers fiercely because she knows. Beth knows what it's like to feel weak in a world like this, spent her first two months in one room because she didn't have the guts to leave it out of fear. Andrea has been in the open since the beginning, whether she fought or not, she was strong.

"You all done in there?" Daryl shouts through the door as he bangs on it, waiting two seconds before he flings it open and steps inside. Beth looks away again, feeling her cheeks heat up as he moves to stand at the end of the table, his hand appearing beneath her face as he waits for her to take it. "Come on, we got things we need to discuss."

...

"I won't do it. We can't just leave." Carol growls, her mother instincts coming out in waves as she glares at the men in front of her, the group spilt by the sexes clearly. Beth stands beside her, arms crossed over her chest and eyes narrowed as she fights to not sway on her feet and cause more chaos that ends with her being swooped away to her family's house..

Daryl was already watching her, waiting for a sign that said he needed to carry her again or sit her down on the back of a truck but Beth refused to give him one and instead settled on leaning slightly against Andrea, the woman rubbing her back gently.

"You're right Carol, we are not leaving Sophia behind." Beth spits out as she dares someone to contradict her. The girl who's family wait on the farm not even knowing if she's alive, the one who is choosing to stand beside a woman instead of running home like any rational person would do. Beth may not be rational but she is kind and she knows how guilty she would feel if she just up and left while a little girl was out there.

"Carol, the group is split. We're scattered and weak." Dale tries to convince them, bushy eyebrows almost hiding his eyes.

Beth takes a look around. Six people stood up near the trees and one sat in the R.V door, injured but probably still capable of defending himself if he needed to. They could fight if they had to, all of them could hold a knife and they all knew how to stab a walker - Beth would say they were anything but weak in reality.

"What if she comes back and we're not here?" Carol asks as she looks at the group, seeing the disbelief on their faces as she wraps her arms around her waist and wipes the tears from her cheeks. "It could happen."

"If Sophia found her way back and we were gone, that would be awful." Andrea quickly jumps to Carol's defence before anyone else can speak. Beth watches as their faces fall as they think of a little girl making her way out of the forest only to see they had all gone. Beth can't even imagine how she would feel in that situation, never mind Sophia.

"It would be devastating and dangerous. She could end up walking off and we wouldn't even know." Beth doesn't want to make Carol even more upset but she needs to make these men realise just what they are asking them to do - if they want to leave though then so be it, Beth would stay behind as long as she could, searching in those woods everyday until she found Sophia and could take her back to her mother.

"Fine. But we got to plan for this. I say tomorrow morning is soon enough to pull up stakes. Give us a chance to rig a big sign, leave her some supplies. I'll hold here tonight, stay with the RV then tomorrow we head to the farm." Daryl's tone holds no room for negotiations and Beth for one doesn't even want to fight him. Though she probably couldn't with the way her mouth has gone dry and her skin feels heated. Lord have mercy on her, this man could tell her to fuck off in that tone of his and she would probably blush.

"If the RV is staying, I am too." Dale says with a sigh as Beth narrows her eyes at him. So he would stay behind for that lump of metal but not for a little girl?

"Thank you. Thank you both." Carol cries out as she looks between the two men with a grateful smile. She never even needed to ask Beth or Andrea, the two of them having told Carol the moment they heard the plan that they would stay with her up here as long as they could.

"Well, if you're all staying then I'm - "

"Glenn, you go ahead and take Daryl's truck, take T-Dog down too, make sure he gets seen by my dad, if he's there. The house is normally stocked up on antibiotics for animals but it should help his arm." Beth cuts her best friend off before he can even speak, gesturing towards Daryl's red truck behind them as Glenn turns to frown at her, his mouth falling open.

"You offering out my things now, girl?"

"You're not coming down?" Glenn asks softly as he takes a step towards her, the two of them ignoring Daryl. Beth sighs as she sees the worry in those deep brown eyes staring at her, feels him reach out to take her hand like he might be able to lead her back to the farm like that.

"I need - no, I want to stay behind and look for Sophia." Beth admits as she squeezes his hand and pulls her own pale on away. She knows that he knows it's more than that. Beth can't explain the fear in her stomach at seeing her family, can't admit to herself that seeing her own family alive and well is twisting her real good inside. "Go now though before the sun sets and it's too late for T, looks like a blood infection might be setting in." Beth says softly as she points to T-Dog's arm.

Suddenly Daryl is moving away, towards his bike. Pulling off the rag on the handlebars and digging through the leather satchel he keeps hanging on the front. Beth feels her mouth fall open as he pulls a clear plastic bag full of plastic orange bottles and blue crystals at the bottom, like the stuff that Jesse guy used to sell in town (she never bought any but that didn't mean some people she knew from school hadn't, plus Jesse was always quite infamous).

"Keep your oily rags off my brother's motorcycle." Daryl snaps as he moves back towards the group, throwing the rag into Dale's chest before resting the bag on the hood on his truck. "Why'd you wait till now to say anything? Got my brother's stash. Crystal, X... Don't need that. Got some kick ass painkillers. Doxycycline. Not the generic stuff neither. It's first class. Merle got the clap on occasion." Daryl explains as throws the bottles to Glenn without looking.

"Thank you Merle." Beth breathes out under her breath as Daryl moves his plastic bag full of legal and illegal drugs back to his bike, dropping it into the satchel.

"Thank the girl that gave him the clap." Man must have supernatural hearing or something to have heard her from that far away. Beth expects him to send her a glare for saying anything about Merle as she sits in the bed of a truck but his mouth is curling up to one side and he's leaning beside her, arm almost touching hers as the two watch Dale gives some tablets to T-Dog.

"Sure it was a girl?" She's teasing before she even realises, leaning into his shoulder and almost resting her head on his shoulder before she thinks better. He may not be flinching at the sudden weight on his side or when he carried her but that doesn't mean he will openly accept her cuddling up to him like she would with Glenn.

"Don't start." His words hold no real bite as he tenses his crossed arms, head moving to the side to look at her with a frown. "You alright?"

"Perfectly fine - or I will be once we knew Carl is going to be alright." Beth mumbles as she thinks to the small boy with wide eyes laid in pain right now. She hopes, prays, that her daddy is alive and doing what he can and that's it is not Maggie trying to preform some surgery that she's only ever assisted her daddy with.

"You could have found out, I'm sure your sister would have rather had you on that horse than Lori."

"No I couldn't have." Beth says with gritted teeth. It's not Daryl's fault, it's no ones fault that Beth didn't let her sister know she was there. And Beth knows the moment Maggie would have seen her then she would have been dragged back to the farm and into everyone's arms. Beth doesn't want that, she doesn't want to go back to being the little girl everyone watched over and doted on like she was a baby.

"Why not?" Beth didn't realise Glenn had joined them until he was taking his cap off his head and messing up his hair.

"Carl will need or be in surgery, daddy will be doing it - but I think it would be a bit hard to do that if I suddenly appear. Who do you think he will be more interested in; the daughter who just came back or a kid - I don't even want to say it." It's an excuse, a lame white lie because Hershel Greene would never leave someone suffering just because someone he loved turned up but Beth doesn't want to admit the real reason right now. "So just don't tell them I'm here, make sure T-Dog knows too."

"And what do I say to Rick?" Glenn asks as he raises his eyebrow and tenses his jaw. Beth fights back an argument, the tip of her tongue resting on her teeth - she knows Rick will be worried and panicked if he finds out where he is.

"Nothing, he doesn't know it's my family. Lori doesn't know. They've got more to worry about right now." Beth mutters back calmly as Glenn sags slightly, looking over his shoulder at T-Dog who is slumped against the R.V. 

"Alright Bethy, your choice." Glenn whispers as he takes the keys from Daryl, moving towards Beth and laying a gentle kiss on her forehead that has her smiling as she watches him climbed into the truck, T-Dog practically falling into the passenger seat, his head falling back onto the head rest. Beth hopes they get to her family fast before the dark falls and they end up stuck.

"You let all your friends kiss you like that?" Daryl rasps from beside her, eye narrowed as he watches his truck drive away. Beth lets out a little chuckle as she swings her legs and gives him a cheeky smile.

"Why? You want to try it?"

"Hell nah - I was just wondering." Beth watches with interest as red runs its way up his necks and back to the tips of his ears, his thumb coming up to the side of his mouth so he can chew down on it and his eyes watching the road in front of them. Beth would have been hurt if she couldn't see through his lie, couldn't still see the blush on him.

She thinks back to the R.V, how they had been a couple of seconds away from their lips touching before they were interrupted and grins again. She doesn't feel so stupid anymore, so self conscious of the words that might leave her mouth around him because even if he doesn't like her like that well he definitely finds her attractive enough to consider kissing which is a plus in her books.

"Course you were." Beth sings out as she taps his leg with her foots, keeping a sweet grin on her face as he turns to glare at her. Beth fights back the shiver at those stunning eyes and forces herself to speak, even if it comes out all husky like and has his ears turning even redder. "Don't worry Mr Dixon, I won't share your secret."

"Pfft girl, no clue what you're yammering about."

"Okay." Beth says slowly, shrugging her shoulders as he turns to look at her in a bit of shock. Did he want her to keep pushing him? Make him admit what they both already know. "Though just so you know for next time, if you want Glenn to kiss you then all you gotta do is ask." Beth jokes as she dives out of his way before he can lightly slap her leg, a laugh coming from her throat.

Everything is in shit. This world, their people vanishing before their very eyes but then there are moments like these. Moments that despite everything going on around them they can hold onto, look back and chuckle at them. It's also the moment that Beth realises that despite the fact she's barely known Daryl Dixon all that long - her 'most joyful' moments from this new world seem to somehow always include him.

It makes her smile a little wider as she turns to look at him, the sky slowly darkening around them. His sharp blue eyes already on her and his mouth twitching like it wants to smile but isn't sure it should.

That Daryl Dixon is something else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So moments are happening.   
> It was a bit short and we had a few extra scenes that are going to make for some interesting changes when we get to that farm - I am so looking forward to sharing it with you.
> 
> Beth and Daryl are getting closer and they will get even closer in the next chapter which basically just focuses on them though there is a little surprise POV in their somewhere that I'm also excited about.
> 
> Please take care guys! Remember if you need to talk then I am always here to listen. Please comment and share your thoughts, everyone's opinion is valid and I love to hear what you guys are thinking.
> 
> Take care guys and I will see you soon!


	9. Save the Last One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back and I am sorry. I wanted to upload this earlier but it's been pretty shit lately. I'll be honest I haven't been the best, I woke up at half seven and proceed to cry at half eight so...life sucks but you guys make it so much better.  
> Just reading your comments gives me so much joy and love that it's overwhelming amazing. It's what I've needed without even realising. Sorry that sounds egotistical.
> 
> This chapter focuses on Beth and Daryl with a bit of a surprise so for reference Appa means father, Eomma means Mother and noona means older sister.
> 
> As always I don't own The Walking Dead.

The R.V is silent accept for the soft cries from Carol, the sound of breathing from the rest of them and Dale's footsteps above them. 

Beth is stretched out on the passenger seat, her feet propped up on the drivers seat as she tries yet again to sleep through the womans cries but it's hard. She understands the pain Carol must be going through, can practically feel the sadness coming off her in waves and she gets it, she does but a part of her is tired and annoyed that she just can't sleep through noise anymore.

When she was younger she had been able to sleep through a storm. Her little body exhausted from farm work, riding her horse and school then Maggie started sneaking in through her window on a night and well Beth just woke up a Hell of a lot easier - struggled to even sleep these days.

And it seemed like the other two people in the R.V were struggling with the same thing. Andrea had begun taking guns apart and attempting to clean them, Beth hoped she knew what she was doing because she didn't want to have to put them all back together in the morning or in a rush when a herd came through again.

And Daryl. Well Daryl had just stood up from his little space between the bathroom door and the counters after staring at the ceiling for so long. "I need my clip now. I'm gonna walk the road, look for the girl." His voice is but a whisper as he holds out his hand to Andrea, taking the clip and placing it into his gun within the first five seconds of her handing it over.

Beth pulls her feet off the chair and sits herself up as Andrea gives her a smirk and a nod with her head, quick enough that when Daryl turns away from giving Carol a soft smile all she's left with is an amused expression.

"I'll come with you." Beth whispers back as she pushes herself off the chair, ignoring the small chuckle from Andrea. Daryl gives her a narrowed eye glare before he jerks his head towards the door when he realises she wasn't asking for his permission. The two blonds following behind him.

"Hey Dale, need some company up there?" Andrea asks as she looks up at the older man on the R.V, a frown on his face as he looks down at the three of them. "These two are going off on their own and Carol needs to sleep." Andrea explains as she doesn't wait for him to respond, simply climbs up the ladder and sits beside him on the empty chair.

"What?"

"We're going for a walk. Shine some light in the forest. If she's out there, give her something to look at." Daryl explains lowly to Dale, eyes flicking around to make sure they are alone as Beth checks her weapons. Gun half empty and her large knife by her side.

"You think that's a good idea right now?" Dale says with a frown.

"Can't just sit around waiting Dale, might as well do something." Beth explains as she moves behind Daryl, giving the two one last wave as they climb over the railing and back into the woods.

...

Glenn can't help but think of Beth as he drives towards the farmhouse, all big and old looking with paint peeling off the sides and warm yellow light from inside. It was different to his parents house with it's wrap around porch, almost too big in it's appearance with it's large stretches of land.

The Rhee household didn't look as big but it had been just as comfy. His parents blending the mix of Korean and American perfectly and in a way that made everyone comfortable when they walked in to the fresh smells of Japchae, Bibimmyeon or even a pizza - Glenn missed it more than ever.

His missed his Appa, his Eomma and his Noona's. Being the youngest of his family he understood Beth, felt like he knew the real reason why she hadn't wanted to come back to this overwhelming home.

Glenn tries not to dwell on it too much as he cut the engine of the truck, shoving his backpack onto his shoulder and clutching his gun into his hand as he exits the truck and stares straight ahead.

"So do we ring the bell?" Glenn asks as he turns to look at T beside him, sweating and shaking, wrapped under a thick blanket. "I mean, it looks like people live here." 

"We're past this kind of stuff, aren't we?" T begins moving forward as he steps, stumbling slightly on the stairs and shaking off Glenn's hand when he tries to help him up. Glenn gets it, isn't offended, T doesn't want to seem weak. "Having to be considerate."

"Did you close the gate up the road when you drove in?" 

Glenn turns to stare at Maggie, feeling himself tense up when he notices her curled on on a bench, hidden under the shadows. He doesn't know what to say, feels slightly in awe of her as he stares. She's beautiful there is no denying that, but unlike her sisters angelic sort of beauty, she seems the complete opposite.

Green eyes, brown hair and tan skin. Curvier and taller. Beth managed to hide behind a soft exterior that had everyone looking twice when she showed how fierce and loyal she really was, gained her respect through smart ideas and kind words, was trusted because she could protect herself and those around her.

But Maggie. She seemed fierce, a wild anger noticing her eyes slightly and making him wary. Glenn felt filthy staring at her, the smooth clean skin that didn't even have one spec of dirt or blood on it. Complete opposite of her sister in that regard too.

"Hi, nice to see you again." Glenn stutters out. He wants to tell her that Beth is on the highway, wants to spill the secret but he has a feeling that Maggie will not take too kindly to the 'new' Beth. "Yeah we closed the latch and everything." Glenn mumbles when he sees Maggie frowning at him, he pulls the gun closer to his chest.

"Look we came to help." T speaks, catching Maggie's attention as she turns those startling eyes on him leaving Glenn to feel like he can breath again. "Is there anything we can do? I haven't been bit, just cut myself pretty bad though." T changes the sentence when Maggie's eyes drift to the cut on his arm. Glenn watches with his own frown, their doesn't even seem to be some worry or a need to check like they had done when Jim got bit.

"Daddy will have a look at it." Maggie utters. Glenn feels those eyes on his again and breaths out a shaky breath. It's one thing to keep Beth a secret from Maggie but another thing to have to keep it from her daddy and make sure Rick knows she's alright with giving too much away. God, Beth was going to be the end of him. "I'll tell them you're here." 

Glenn moves in his bag as he speaks. "We have some painkillers and antibiotics. I already gave him some. If Carl needs any." He holds out the bottle to Maggie, she ignores them and moves past them.

"Come on inside. I'll make you something to eat." Her green eyes land on him again as she opens the door and they follow behind them. Glenn isn't surprised in the different personality, the closed off one that Maggie seems to have even though Beth had always just seemed so open with them all.

Rick meets them in the hallway, holding his arm as Maggie leaves them there to speak to an older man who's eyes resemble Beth's and who's hands are stained with blood.

"How is Carl?" Glenn asks as a blond woman comes to move T away, sitting him down and checking his arm. Rick looks pale, swaying slightly in his spot as Lori flits out of the room quickly, nodding to Glenn and then heading back inside to where Glenn assumes Carl must be.

"Not good...Shane is out there now getting the supplies they need. Should have been back by now." 

"Then he'll be back soon, might have been a minor holdup." Glenn tries to reassure him. One thing to have your son on his deathbed but another to worry your best friend might not make it back and then you would lose them both.

"How's Be-"

"All good." Glenn lies through his teeth, cutting Rick off before he can speak as Maggie moves through the hallway. He gives Rick a tense smile, lips curling in as the man frowns down at him, knowing something had happened. "They are all good, no ones bit - they decided to wait out the night for Sophia."

"Still nothing?" Rick asks as he moves back to the room, Glenn following after him as the older man sits himself down in the chair. 

Glenn likes Rick. Doesn't judge him for the mistakes that have been made because he knows how hard the man works to try and keep them safe, is 100% on Beth's side with this. Everyone else can fuck off if they don't see it.

"No. We looked but Daryl couldn't even pick up a trail." Rick nods his head in defeat as he stares down at the pale boy laid on the bed. Glenn looks down too and feels sadness shake his heart, Carl deserved better than this.

"You in need of my services?" Glenn blinks as he looks to the old man and his stern face, those blue eyes the same as Beth's but without the kindness. Glenn thinks he understands a bit more now why Beth didn't want to come down just yet.

"No Sir."

"Then leave the room, that man has returned and I need to operate." Glenn looks over his shoulder to see Shane entering the house with bags upon bags worth of stuff, looking tired and slightly bloody.

Glenn backs away instantly, giving one last smile to Rick and Lori.

...

The forest is much cooler during the night than it was not three hours ago and Beth for once is relieved. She knows it's dangerous out here, their eyes not being able to see between every nook and cranny between the trees but it's hard to not feel safe following behind Daryl Dixon and his crossbow.

"I really hope we find Sophia." Beth lets out after a good ten minutes of silence. It's hard to see Daryl ahead of her, his clothes blending in with the darkness around them but when he turns all she can seem to see are those blue eyes even when they are glaring at her in annoyance.

"You got that look on your face same as everybody else. What the hell's wrong with you people?" Daryl snaps and Beth knows, even with the glare and harshness of his tone that he isn't mad at her or anyone else. He's mad because of the situation. "We just started looking."

"Daryl, I didn't mean it badly and I wasn't even aware I had a look on my face." Beth says calmly, sighing when Daryl gives her another look and she has to ask. "Do you really think we'll find her?"

"It ain't the mountains of Tibet. It's Georgia. Probably holed up in some farmhouse out here." Beth winces as he gives her a look - what was the odds of Sophia being at the Greene family farm. "People get lost all the time, don't mean they don't survive."

"Not to many twelve year olds it doesn't." 

"Hell, I was younger than her and I got lost. Nine days in the woods eating berries, wiping my ass with poison oak." Daryl tells her, Beth bites into the bottom of her lip to stop from smiling. 

Gathering information on the sort of person Daryl Dixon was, was about as hard as breaking your own hand. It could be done but it was going to be hella painful with a lot of shouting. So Beth valued the rare moments where he shared a snippet of his life; so far all she had was Merle was the most important thing to him, he could hunt and now she knew he'd gotten lost in the woods.

"Bet that was an experience, how did they find you?"

"No-one found me." Beth wants to say sorry but he's talking again, speaking as though none of what happened was important. "Merle was in jail for something or the other, my dad was off with some waitress, probably high off his ass. Neither of them knew I was gone." Daryl says with a shrug, turning to look at Beth once more, his eyes trailing down her face with a frown. "I found my way back. Went straight into the kitchen and made myself a sandwich. No worse for wear. Except my ass itched something awful." 

Beth feels a laugh bubble out of her throat. It's horrible in reality, a father and a brother who didn't seem to care but the way he says the last sentence with a slight smirk like he knows if he doesn't turn this funny then he'll have to admit how sad it is. "That's shit, I'm sorry I shouldn't laugh." And yet she is laughing again, covering her mouth as he lets out his own chuckle.

"Only difference is Sophia's got people looking for her. I call that an advantage." Daryl says as he carries on walking, Beth following behind him. 

"Yeah, though the difference being you didn't have walkers on your ass." Beth says as Daryl turns to look at her. "I'd call that a advantage." She adds as he nods his head and the two of them carry on walking deeper into the forest.

"Beth?" Beth stops unsurely as he stops once again. The highway is long gone from view but she reckons she can get back if she needs to except now she isn't sure she'll ever want to.

It sounds pathetic but Beth thinks she will be more than content to stand here for the rest of her life just listening to the way Daryl said her name. It was the first time she had ever heard it come from his lips and in her eyes she never wanted anyone else to say her name. His voice made it extra raspy, his tongue rolling around the word and his eyes, well they added to the whole thing.

"Yeah?"

"Why didn't you go with your sister?" Daryl asks, his tongue running over his lip in the most mesmerising way. If it had been any other question then Beth might have ignored him and carried on staring. "Or with Glenn and T-Dog?" 

"I don't know." Beth whispers as she moves through the woods, hearing Daryl crunch behind her in a way that she knows is just for her because he can walk lighter than that. She wants to stop, forget the conversation and go back to talking about Sophia or Daryl, not about her family.

Daryl doesn't question her again, keeping behind her as she follows the sound of the rustling through the trees. Stopping when they come across what looks like some sort of camp, the top of the tent hitting the leaves of the tree.

"What the hell?" Daryl growls out as he shines his light on the walker Beth had missed. It's hung up on a tree, it's legs are practically chewed off but it remains 'alive', groaning and growling at them from where it swings. ""Got bit. Fever hit. World gone to shit. Might as well quit". Dumbass didn't know enough to shoot himself in the head. Turned himself into a big swinging piece of bait. And a mess." Daryl scoffs as he moves closer.

Beth can't help the sad expression on her face as she moves closer, her light shining on the mans face. Daryl has begun to move away, rummaging through the camp with an indifference that Beth wished she could possess but that wasn't her and she should stop trying to make it her.

"Probably wasn't even aware he had to do that." Daryl turns at the softness of her voice, concern on his face.

"What's up?" 

"Nothing, I'm just tired and not exactly thrilled about seeing this." Beth answers as she turns away from the walker to stare at Daryl who seems to have concluded the camp had little to nothing he deemed useful. "You know I've always wondered how you learnt to shoot that." Beth says as she points to the crossbow in his hands.

"What?" Daryl asks but when he sees she isn't joking he carries on. "Gotta eat. That's one thing these walkers and us have in common. I guess it's the closest he's been to food since he turned. Look at him hanging up there like a big pinata. The other geeks came and ate all the flesh off his legs." Daryl says with a bit of a laugh, as he moves to slap the walkers legs.

"Don't be a dick." Beth snaps as she shoves his shoulder slightly. "You're gonna make me throw up." Beth cringes in disgust as a part of the flesh left on the walkers leg falls to the ground.

"Payback blondie for laughing at my itchy ass."

"How'd you know I wasn't just laughing at your ass in general?" Beth teased as she grinned cheekily at him, throwing a playful wink as he scoffed at her, turning away from the walker to raise his eyebrow. Beth wondered what he would do, he could turn and leave, pretend a girl nearly five? years younger than him was flirting with him or if he would bite back.

"Girl, stop pretending I haven't noticed you staring at my ass." Daryl teased back before he remembered where they were. Beth hoped he didn't notice her blush but he was staring at her cheeks so it was obvious she was. Especially since she seemed to have been caught out. "Huh. Let's head back"

"Wait - shouldn't we take him down or something, put him out of his misery?"

"He ain't hurting nobody. Ain't gonna waste an arrow either. He made his choice. Opted out. Let him hang. You want to see your family or not?" Daryl asked and Beth frowned. "It's just a question, I didn't mean - "

"Fine I'll answer if - " Beth pauses as Daryl frowns, looking around nervously like he's scared what she might answer. " - you shoot him. Got to admit it seems fair." Daryl nodded his head eagerly and Beth rolls her eyes. "I don't know - I mean obviously I do but at the same time I don't want to."

"Why?"

"I'm not the same person I was when I left the farm. I've done things that I never thought I would have to do and honestly I don't know if they could deal with it." Beth admits softly before she lets out a scoff and admits something much more personal. "I don't know if I can deal with them looking at me differently. Sometimes I just think things would have been easier if I had stayed inside the C.D.C with Jacqui and Jenner." 

Daryl shoots his arrow into the walkers skull before turning around with a glare, stepping closer to her, shocking her. "No. You ever think like that again then you come and find me - ain't no way you are giving up on my watch."

"Wouldn't dream of it Mr Dixon." Her voice is softer than a whisper, she watches in fascination as his cheeks turn red. Her own heart thumping wildly against her chest and threatening to beats it's way out at any second.

"Don't call me that." Before Beth can respond he's talking again, leading her away from the dead walker. "So what's the other reason?" Beth frowns, she explained it hadn't she but the way Daryl's looking at her has her thinking.

"You shot your arrow and I answered your question." Beth sighs out but she's speaking before she even realises it. "Before when I didn't know whether they were dead or alive I could just assume they were in a better place, I'd made my peace with it. And now suddenly I know Maggie is alive and probably daddy which just means I have more chance of losing them." Daryl stares at Beth like he understands which is strange because Beth isn't even sure she understands what she just said.

"I get it." He rasps out as he nods his head. "When everything happened with Merle I just wanted to find out - I still kinda do but at the same time there is some sort of peace that comes with not knowing."

Beth watches him as he begins moving again, knowing he feels like he has just shared too much with her which is why she grins from beside him. "Also I just don't think I can go back to being cramped up in a house, think you've rubbed off on me Dixon, might just start living in the forest."

"If you're gonna do that then you are gonna have to learn to walk quieter." His ears are bright red as he nudges her and it takes Beth a second to realise what she said could be interoperated a different way.

"Well then you'll just have to teach me won't you Mr Dixon." 

"Girl, I said don't call me that. Make me feel old." Daryl shivers as he speaks and sends her a small smirk. Beth can't help but admire him as she follows behind him, watching the way the muscles in his arms work to lift the crossbow.

"Ah come on you haven't got that much on me. What are you twenty four? Five?" Beth chirps cheerfully from his side as he rolls his eyes at her. Some would say that six to seven years was a lot even if it didn't seem like it but Beth would say fuck them, this world made her feel like she might be edging towards thirty and not nineteen.

"Ain't a walker to shoot, ain't got to answer your question." Daryl says but she can see he is teasing.

"Come on, just tell me." Beth pleads, she knows they aren't far from the road now, getting closer every step they take. Closer to the three people waiting for them, which means the easy banter that had been flowing between them would probably die down in favour of making sure everyone else was safe.

"Twenty five." Daryl admits, biting his cheek as he continues on forward with Beth raising her eyebrows, he only had a year on Maggie.

"So that's what? Seven years older than me?" Beth questions though she knows it is, obviously it's pretty simple maths and she isn't stupid. She grins at him when he frowns, looking confused.

"That important girl?" Daryl asks her as they stop just short of the tree. Beth can see the R.V and she knows whatever they are doing will end soon so she decides to channel her inner Maggie and places a coy smile on her face, jutting out her hip and watching as his frown deepens like he isn't sure what's happening.

"I don't know - you tell me." Beth knows men like Daryl Dixon. Knows whatever happens next needs to be his choice, he has to decide the meaning underneath even though it is pretty clear what she is hinting at. If he wants her then she's made it known as subtly as she can and if he doesn't well that's his choice. The ball is now in his court which is exactly why she gives him once last smile and turns. "Hey."

Andrea and Dale look down as she climbs over the railing, leaving Daryl behind. Their eyes are on the two of them with a frown and a slight look of disappointment that Beth assumes comes from the fact that Sophia isn't with them. Not that they expected that.

"How was it?" Andrea asks as she moves down the ladder, Beth moving forward to meet her by the door as she shrugs her shoulders. "Everything ok Daryl?

"He's fine, probably just feeling a bit shocked." Beth teases, using the words he said about her not five hours ago when she found Maggie. Andrea raises her eyebrow intrigued as Dale steps down the ladder, gripping it and watching them with an open mouth. "We had a little chat." Beth whispers to Andrea who opens her mouth and raises her eyebrows.

"With safety and everything?"

"Not that sort of chat." Beth chuckles as she speaks, rolling her eyes. "I'll take watch if you want, you guys look dead on your feet." She doesn't wait for a response as she moves to the ladder, strutting slightly and smirking.

"What happened out there?" Andrea asks as Beth situates herself comfortably in one of the chairs, Dale heading into the R.V and taking a seat where Beth had tried to sleep.

"Nothing. Girl just likes playing around." Daryl mutters. "Get some sleep, I'll sit up there with her."

"Course you will, don't be too loud though. I do want to sleep after all." Andrea jokes as moves to the door. Beth rolls her eyes as she hears Daryl at the bottom of the ladder.

"Fuck off." Daryl mutters as Andrea lets out a laugh and shuts the door behind her. Beth sits herself down in the chair and pulls the blanket Andrea left up there around her shoulders, resting her gun between her knees as Daryl sits beside her in Dale's chair.

...

Carol was still crying as the night carried on, it had softened and sounded like she might even be asleep but the tears wouldn't stop. Beth couldn't say anything, wouldn't even know how to begin to comfort the woman so she let out a sigh as she leaned her head back onto the chair, turning to stare at Daryl who was stood on the edge looking out.

"Thank you for shooting that walker."

"Nah, you was right, wasn't right to leave him like that." Daryl admits, Beth feels a small smile make it's way onto her face. She knows it's not often that he would admit to something like that.

"When this all started I never really saw them as human, I mean it's hard to when they are Hellbent on trying to eat you but there was always just a small part of me that felt bad for them." Beth tries to explain, feeling the need to fill the silence settling between them. "I just wanted to not care about it, not even focus on it. For the first couple of days I did, managed to not even notice them or care about them. What's the word?" Beth asks as she tries to draw him into her long rant.

"Desensitize." Daryl replies gruffly as Beth nods her head. He's watching her but he doesn't offer anything else.

"That's it. I just didn't feel like myself and then suddenly it hit me when Rick and Morales were whacking this walker, reading his card info like it made it better that these people were human once and I didn't want to hear who he was because it made it harder to act like it didn't bother me." Beth mumbles as she plays with her knife, weaving it through her fingers. "Then that man tonight, I just remembered that we can't leave them like that, if we can then we should help put them out of their misery."

"Hm." Beth should have known that was the response she was going to get by the way he was more interested in biting the edge of his thumb off than sharing what he thought about it.

"Am I boring you, Dixon?" Beth teases but she really wants to know. She doesn't want to put it in his head that she is some boring little girl who wants to stick by his side like glue. Beth wants Daryl to see her, hear her and be interested in her just like she is with him.

"No...Greene." Daryl mutters, a small smile on his face as he finally sits down in the spare chair, eyes looking everywhere and fingers twitching around his weapon. Beth can't help but smile, her last name having being mentioned maybe once and yet it's like he's already got it locked away in his brain.

"Good, so then you wont mind when I talk all night long."

"I'll just throw you over the R.V when you piss me off." Daryl jokes but Beth wouldn't put it past him if she kept prodding him. Though maybe he wouldn't throw her as much as make sure she got down and locked herself somewhere where he couldn't hear her rambling on.

...

"So the rest of your group should be joining us tomorrow, right?" Maggie asks as she appears in the doorway, Glenn frowns from where he is sat on the porch, his gun still in his hand and his thoughts far away. "Tell me about them."

Glenn's pretty sure he is safe. Rick is asleep in the room with Carl and Lori and T-Dog had fallen asleep on the sofa of the Greene living room not an hour ago once he had the meds Hershel had given him. But he knows he needs to trod lightly here, he can't just say nothing to Maggie because that's just rude but he can't mention Beth because he had promised her he wouldn't.

"Erm well...you have Carol, Dale, Andrea, Daryl and Bee." Glenn stops himself as he turns to look at the woman frowning at him, waiting for him to carry on. Glenn isn't even sure why she needs to know when they'll be here tomorrow and all Hell will probably break loose when they see Beth. "They're all pretty decent people, I mean Daryl can be an ass but he means no harm - and Bee, well I'm pretty sure she is the closest friend I have right now."

"Like your girlfriend?" Maggie asks, something flashing through her eyes as she curls her knees to her chest and tilts her head. There's something slightly dangerous about her that Glenn can't put his finger on but he kind of likes it.

"Oh God, no - Daryl would kill me." Glenn says with a laugh. Maggie doesn't seem to understand, her frown deepening as Glenn swears under his breath, he has just put his foot in it. "Just because she's like all small, cute and friends with everyone not because of anything else." Glenn rambles, trying to reverse whatever drama he would have caused.

It's one thing to say things but if Maggie figures out Bee is Beth, which she obviously will tomorrow, then connects the dots to who Daryl is then Glenn imagines she probably won't be happy having someone as rough as Daryl around her little sister, even if Glenn swore to Heaven and Hell he was a good guy.

"Right."

"She just has been there for me in the short time we've known each other, I can tell her anything and visa versa but there has never been a slight chance of romance between us." Glenn explains when Maggie looks unconvinced. "It would be like dating my sister." Maggie nods her head in understanding as she looks across the farm.

Neither speak as they stare forward. Glenn doesn't know what he would even say, it's another difference between the sisters. Him and Beth could sit in silence fine or they could chat all night but with Maggie he isn't sure what to say without feeling like he might be putting his foot in it or feeling like his nerves are going to explode any minute.

He wants Beth to be here, he wants to sit and tease her, Hell he would even be fine sitting with Daryl for the night. They could talk about Beth or whatever but it would be someone he knew, someone he trusted to take lookout if he wanted to sleep for a couple of hours. He honestly couldn't wait for tomorrow to come any sooner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it wasn't the longest chapter by any means but with all the drama and stuff coming up in future chapters I just wanted a kind of lighter chapter where Beth and Daryl gain more confidence and you know a bit more about Glenn and how he thinks around Maggie.
> 
> For the minute there is a lot of comparing the sisters because he basically loves Beth, thinks of her as a little sister so it's hard for him to understand where his head is at with Maggie at the minute.
> 
> Anyway thank you to everyone who read the chapter. I hope it was alright and worth it, I'm sorry it was short. Love you guys!


	10. Cherokee Rose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I am back and I am sorry.
> 
> These past couple of weeks have been incredibly chaotic and to be completely honest pretty shit. I was supposed to have this up so much sooner but between online classes and complete emotional exhaustion (and getting locked out of my house one night) it just hasn't been possible for me but I feel so bad about it.
> 
> I want to say though that you guys are amazing. I love all your comments, you all make my day and make me want to continue on with this story so thank you, thank you, thank you. I love you all!
> 
> Anyway things are starting to change a bit more. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and that it was kind of worth the wait (I doubt it but I like to feed my ego a bit sometimes). 
> 
> I don't own The Walking Dead.

  
"You coming with me?" Beth tilts her as she turns to face Daryl. 

He's watching her with such focus, the corner of his thumb being chewed on by those teeth, narrowed blue eyes watching her unsurely like he couldn't believe he had even uttered those words. Beth can't believe it either but she finds it endearing, the small smile on her face as she watches him, rolling the words around in her head as she tries to figure out what to say back to him.

"You trying to give my daddy a heart attack, Daryl?" Beth jokes as she places the small backpack on the hood of the van, eyes moving over the message they had left for Sophia without even really reading it. "As much as I'd love to join you I think it would probably be best if we limit the amount of shock my father gets, at least for one day. Unless you want to be shot." 

There's a moment between them - one that's thick and heavy with tension - where all they can do is simply stare at each other, the weight of Beth's words laying over them like a duvet. She wants to let him know that she has no problem with him, that she would follow him to the ends of the earth if she could but she knows her family won't be the same. The Greene's would take one look at Daryl Dixon and not want to take another, they wouldn't want Beth around him either.

He seems to understand though as he nods his head, mouth ticking up slightly. "Ain't like I'm dropping you home after a date." Beth fights the blush that's rising slowly on her cheeks as she tries not to imagine what that would have even looked like.

"No, if this was a date then I would have forewarned them, believe me Dixon, I'm doing this because I like you just enough to not want you dead at my daddy's hand." Beth quips back, rolling her eyes slightly as she shakes her head. The tips of his ears turn red as he mutters something under his breath, she can't hear what he's said but she thinks it might be something at her expense.

"Should we make a move?" The two turn to see Andrea smirking at them as she stands in the door of the R.V, crossing her arms over her chest and looking between the two. "Or do you two need another minute?"

"Ah...we should go." Beth drags out as she gives Daryl a quick look. As much as she is enjoying the little chat, she knows if she stays here then she is going to say something stupid or Daryl will finally crack under her subtle hints. Still she can't resist stopping on her way to the R.V, giving him one last cheeky smile and whispering under her breath. "Though next time we go on a date maybe it could just be between the two of us."

Daryl splutters as Beth quickly moves away from him, pushing past Andrea and moving towards the table. Daryl won't follow or say anything in here around everyone else but Beth can't help but hope he will come in and say something that will have her heart racing - it's only then that disappointment floods through her as the R.V roars to life with the motorcycle behind them.

Beth lets out a sigh as she stares out the window, trees passing by them and the highway in their rear view mirror. Her hands feel clammy and her stomach is twisting uncomfortably as every second brings her closer to the farm she had grown up in. She doesn't want to do this, she wants to shout and tell them to pull over and let her go out there on her own where she won't have to see the disappointment in her family's eyes or feel the panic of being back in that place.

"You alright?" Andrea whispers softly, reaching out to hold her hand. Beth bites on her bottom lip as she stares at the older woman - the woman who had lost so much yet was still sat there showing her concern like she didn't have more pressing issues on her mind. "It's alright if you're not but we are all here for you whenever you need us." Beth nods her head in thanks since the words refuse to leave her mouth.

...

Beth always thought coming home would feel like taking in a large breath of fresh air. She imagined when she had gone to college that she would come back to the farm and be so relieved to be back here, that she would grin and want nothing more than to sit with her family on the porch with some iced tea - so why doesn't it feel like that now?

Instead it feels like she's breathing in a lung full of thick water that's trying to drown her. And she isn't stupid, she knows it's panic and fear and everything else that comes with being pushed out of her home and into another world but for whatever reason she doesn't want it to stop. This fear, it's keeping her alive and prepared for everything that is going on her around her, keeping her awake and ready to go at any moment.

That is until she steps out of the R.V behind Andrea and everything hits her at once. The smell, the feel of the the dirt under her feet and the familiar sounds all bring back childhood memories she had pushed to the back of her brain. It makes her throat and heart clench at once, her knees shaking as she fights the urge to just fall to the ground and let everything out.

It seems though that Glenn has some 'Beth-is-breaking-down' sense as his arms are around her in the next second, holding her up by her waist as his chin rests on her shoulder. Beth lets out a shaky breath, eyes landing on the hat that had fallen off his head, her own arms wrapping around his shoulders in an instant as she takes comfort from the man by clinging onto him like she hadn't seen him in years. 

"You're ok, you're ok. I'm right here." His voice whispers in her ear as he squeezes her ear. Dale is talking and Lori is responding but Beth can't hear them as she pulls away from Glenn, giving him a watery smile as he reaches up to wipe away her tears before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"And Shane. We'd have lost Carl if not for him." Beth practically pushes Glenn out of her way as Rick speaks, his heavy footsteps walking towards her until she is pressed against his chest, his head laying against her own. "Glenn told me everything this morning, you doing alright?" Beth nods her head, her chest brushing against his chest as she lets out a little laugh when she feels Glenn wrapping his arms around the both of them.

"Fuck sake Glenn." Beth mutters but neither man pull away from her, like they need the comfort from her.

"Thank god. We were so worried." Carol's voice seems to break the two men from crushing Beth between them as they take a step backwards, chuckling softly when they see the annoyed look on Beth's face. She wants to smile back and let them know what they've just done from her as her panic lowers from a ten to an eight but the concern for Carl is more pressing.

"How'd it happen?" Beth asks Rick. There is a large presence behind her and she doesn't have to turn to know it's Daryl, but it does make her want to smile as his fingers reach out quickly to brush against the top of her arm in a calming manner.

"Hunting accident. That's all - just a stupid accident." Rick whispers lowly for only the group to hear, his hand reaching up to rub his eyes as he sways slightly. Beth frowns as she takes in the dark circles under his bloodshot eyes, the paleness of his face and the sweat that seems to cling to every part of his body. 

Her mouth opens to ask if he is alright when she sees them. They are stood there staring at her, only three of them - Maggie, Patricia and her daddy - it makes her heart clench again. It almost like looking at three ghost, she could have described every detail of her daddy's face but it wouldn't have done any justice; she could have told you how Maggie looks when she's in shock but nothing would have prepared you to actually see in it person.

And she could have told you that she wouldn't have expected to see all her family waiting on the porch for her but nothing could have prepared Beth that her Mama and Shawn weren't there with the rest of her family. And it hurt so much that she couldn't even express it, that it almost felt like a numbness travelling around her veins like the first time she had the wine at the C.D.C.

"Bethy? Bethy is that you?" Hershel asks, it sounds like he might cry any minute, his eyes sweeping over her from head to toe. Beth almost shrinks away because she knows how she must look - the once sweet girl who wore bright colours and never had an inch of dirt on her clothes was now covered in filth from the road, hair in a tangled greasy mess upon her head and probably blood on her hands and clothes. But the knife is what seems to stop him moving closer, it's what stops Maggie from throwing her arms around her neck in what would have probably been a tight and uncomfortable hug.

"Hi." Is all Beth can say - she wants to take a step back, or go see Carl.

Of all the ways Beth had thought about meeting her family, she never thought she would be taking a step away from them. Daryl's hands come up to her arms to steady her before she can move into him, Maggie's eyes flickering to the dirty hands on her sister and narrowing. Her older sister doesn't move forward though, she seems to sense that Beth doesn't want that.

"Beth, I can't believe it. Where have you been?" Tears fall from those green eyes, a strange mixture of sorrow and happiness; like Maggie can't make up her mind about whether she should be happy her sister is stood in front of her or sad that her sister is here looking like she does but then she's smiling in a way that doesn't quite reach her eyes and picking at her fingers like the Greene's do when they are nervous.

"That's a long story." Beth mumbles, her voice cracking as she takes a look back at the porch. A part of her is waiting for her Mama to swoop out and run to her, for Shawn to appear from the side of the house and give her a lopsided grin but she knows now what has happened, still doesn't stop her from asking the question. "Are Mama, Shawn and Otis gone?"

"They went to try and find you but then Mama got bitten and Shawn - "

"You put them down?" Whatever they had been expecting her to say hadn't been that. Maggie looked ready to catch her in case she fell, daddy and Patricia looking on anxiously until Beth spoke and the shock returned. The group around her don't seem to notice anything different but Beth is watching, she knew these people and could see the little ticks that gave them away as they prepared themselves to lie to her.

Maggie was pale, sending looks to their father and practically begging him to speak, despite the fact that she was probably the best liar among them. Patricia was staring at the wood fencing on the porch and Hershel was as white as a sheet, his eyes flicking over every person stood in front of him until they settled on Beth coldly.

"Bethy, you shouldn't ask questions like that. It's not right." Maggie mumbles under her breath and Beth can't help but tilt her head. It's as clear as the sky above them that they won't be answering her question for whatever reason and Beth is willing to let it pass for the moment, there is far too much shock and nerves around them right now, and she is aware of what happens when you poke her father too much.

"We need to set up our camp." Beth says as she turns to look at Rick. He doesn't argue with her, doesn't tell her she should stay in the house with her family because he knows her and he knows there is no point fighting her.

"Bethy we kept your room clean." Maggie calls, her hands clasping around Beth's wrist as she turns towards the R.V, her body tensing as she turns back around to look at her sister. "Come on, I'll run you a hot bath, get you some clean clothes and - "

"I'm good, got to search the woods anyway, would end up dirtying them up." Beth answers dully as she thinks to the brightly coloured clothes in her wardrobe her mother bought her. How they would end up covered in grime and dirt the minute she headed into those woods. There is something not right about it for her, like it would be destroying the Beth her mother knew.

"And your room - "

"I'm more than fine sleeping on the ground. More safety in sticking together." Truth is the idea of sleeping in a bed again seems like the best idea on the planet right now. It's the idea of stepping into that house, into 'her' room and seeing things the way they were before - where she was the weak, baby of the family, who needed to be protected from every aspect of life. And she can't - no, she won't be that girl again, even if it means having to see the pain and disappointment in her family's eyes.

Because that is something she can deal with. Before everything it would have been something that crushed her, made her curl up into a ball and cry out of disappointing her father, even if she was faking it. The innocent farmgirl was an easier role to play than be the person she really was, the girl who had a tattoo on her back, had sex in her family's barn and snuck out - the girl who had come alive when the rest of the world died.

Disappointment, pain and everything else seemed like such a small price to pay in order to be stronger. In order to help protect those people around her. Even if they couldn't see it right now, when the time came they would.

"Beth!" Oh fuck no. Beth as forcefully pulled out of her thoughts when a pair of long arms wrapped around her waist, picking her up slightly. She knew who it was, had no clue what he was even doing at her house or why he had the nerve to pick her up but if he didn't put her down then he was going to have a hell of a problem if the way Rick was glaring at him was any concern.

The moment her feet touched the ground her hands were reaching up to push forcefully against his chest. Jimmy stumbled backwards, eyes wide with surprise and his mouth falling open as Beth gave him a glare, stepping around him to speak to her family. "What the fuck is he doing here?" She was aware of how harsh her voice was, the way her teeth were gritted together and her hands were clenched.

"Bethy language." 

"Honestly with everything going on right now, that it what you are focused on." Beth snapped, holding up her hand and cutting off Maggie before she could speak as she turned to glare at Jimmy with hate. "You - you are fucking here in my house, all comfy and safe while I was out their for what - three, four months - trying to survive each day and you have the nerve to come and hug me like you weren't the fucking reason I was out there in the first place."

" I - " Jimmy stutters as Beth sees the shocked looks on her family's faces, can feel Daryl all but tensing behind her. Glenn looking ready to shoot the boy through the eye and Rick - well Rick had never looked as terrifying as he did now.

"What? You didn't tell them how you abandoned me out there?" Beth asks sweetly, her hands unclenching as she tilts her head. Jimmy is staring at her in shock, like he is waiting for her to snap.

"Come on Beth - I made a mistake, I didn't mean to - "

"Right a mistake, you seem to be making a lot of those." Beth snarls out as he takes a step towards her, faulting when Beth rests a hand on her knife. Obviously she isn't going to kill him but Jimmy wasn't the smartest boy out there, he just needed to be warned slightly. Unfortunately for Beth, he didn't seem to get that her placing her hand on her bloody knife was that warning.

"Step away from her." Rick hisses as he steps closer to Beth, blue eyes burning with icy flames. "Don't make me ask again."

"Now lets just all calm down. Bethy, Jimmy here came looking for you, we invited him into our home as a guest and this is not the way we treat guests." Hershel calls in his ever calm tone, the one that means he is not two far from anger. The calm before the storm, that's what Mama always called it. Beth sighs as she takes a step backwards, nodding her head to Rick and watching as he lifts his hand off his own weapon.

"Listen to your Daddy, Beth. Lets just go inside and we can cuddle and talk things out, get you away from these people." Jimmy mutters as he reaches up to stroke her cheek.

Beth sighs, one that Jimmy seems to think is an invitation for him to step closer, it's a shame that he doesn't really know what's coming until her fist hits the side of his face. Beth refuses to shake it out, even as her knuckles scream in pain, and instead focuses on the boy stumbling to the side, his hands coming up to grip his face and his eyes even wider than before as he stares at Beth in shock.

Everyone is silent as they look between the two, waiting for one of them to speak or Beth to start swinging again. Her real family are stuttering over their words, unsure of what to say while her group stay silent.

"Your guests not mine. I don't take too kindly to people who ditch me when they've gotten what they wanted or insult the people I care about." Beth finally speaks, looking at her father once again and seeing the disappointment even more prominent on his aging face. It does nothing to her as she shakes her head, moving backwards away from the mess she had created and towards the R.V.

...

"You got a mean right hook on you there Bethy." Glenn jokes from where he sits beside her on top of the R.V, her hand in his as he tries to look over the slight bruising in order to make sure she hadn't done too much damage to herself. Unlike Jimmy who's face was beginning to turn a beautiful shade of blue that is visible from the top of the R.V where she had already claimed lookout.

"Shawn taught me well."

"I don't blame you for hitting the dick after what he did but do you think your dad might kick us out of here now?" Glenn worries the bottom of his lip as he places her hand back on her own lap. Beth lets out a sigh as she shrugs her shoulders.

"In all honesty I would have been surprised if my father let us stay before I punched Jimmy." Beth admits as she looks to where her father stands, white hair sticking out like a sore thumb. Glenn shakes his head, rubbing his hand underneath his hat as Beth carries on speaking. "But if he doesn't want us here then I'll speak to him, try to make him understand though I doubt it will do much good."

"Or we leave if we have to." Glenn whispers. Neither of them have thought twice about Beth not coming with them because it just doesn't seem plausible. After everything they've been through together it just seems right that they would carry on their journey together, even if it means leaving her family behind. Which is something that makes her heart ache. "Though if that happens then I need to hit that kid before I go." 

They chuckle together over the thought of Glenn punching Jimmy. It feels strange that they are sat there enjoying a moment of happiness when a few feet away there is a funeral going on for Otis, a cross in the ground and a little memento of his resting on it. Beth knows how people are looking at her, cold hearted and rude, unable to say goodbye to someone who had meant so much to her growing up.

That's not how she feels though. Weeks ago she had made her peace in thinking her family were possibly gone, Otis, her Mama and Shawn were all people she had accepted were no longer in this world. She didn't want to stand in front of a cross and say goodbye. Nor did she want to think about the fact that was only one cross there, not three like there should have been.

"Bethy?" Beth tenses up as she stands to look over the edge of the R.V. Maggie is stood below, concerned eyes staring up at her from underneath the tanned hand. "Can we talk?"

"Yeah, come on up."

"I was kind of hoping we could do this in the house, alone." Maggie motions towards Glenn who is staring ahead not showing any sign of moving. Beth straightens herself up as she turns to look towards the house - people had been walking in and out all day to see Carl, right now it seemed like Rick and Lori were heading back in to spend some time with their son.

"I can't. I'm on watch with Glenn so if you need to talk then we will have to do it here." It's a testament to their friendship that Glenn doesn't rat her out or tell her she can go or even make any attempt to move, like he knows she needs him here as she deals with whatever her sister wants to say to her.

"Oh well - alright." Maggie mumbles out defeated as Beth nods her head moving back towards her chair as the elder girl climbs up the ladders and onto the top of the R.V, nervously looking around as though Dale would jump out from somewhere and scold her.

Glenn moves first, gesturing to his chair and sitting at the edge. Maggie nods at him in thanks as she slumps down beside Beth, her mouth opening and closing like she isn't sure what she should say. At one point Beth would have made a joke and eased whatever tension they had between them but now she can't even find it within her to do that and she was never one to force words out.

It's strange to be here. To feel like she doesn't really know the woman beside her despite the fact that Maggie wasn't the one that had changed. Beth had always been the comforter in her family, able to make people feel so at ease but now she seems to be adding more nerves. Maggie is practically twitching beside her, eyes on the knife in her hands and the gun resting between her baby sisters legs - Beth could imagine that if the situation was reversed then she might have felt just as unnerved by it.

Maggie lets out a sigh, rubbing her hands down her jeans and finally looking Beth in the face as she speaks. "You punched Jimmy."

"That I did."

"We haven't seen you in months - we had no idea if you were even still alive - and then suddenly you are back." Maggie whispers the last part like she still can't believe Beth is sat beside her. Beth shifts, watching the salty tears run down Maggie's face as she frowns. "You have no idea how it feels to see you after so long only to not be able to touch you."

"I never said you couldn't touch me." Beth whispers back but she flinches when Maggie raises her hand to rest on her shoulder. It's not out of fear, not in any way but for the past few months the only people she had let hug her or have any form of friendly physical affection had been those that proved they meant no harm to her. And Maggie doesn't mean harm but she does need the comfort more than Beth does.

"Flinching isn't a sign that someone wants to be touched." Maggie rasps out, sounding beyond hurt and Beth has to bite her tongue so she doesn't retort. "You can back covered in dirt, sweat and what I hope isn't blood - " Beth doesn't say that it probably is. " - then you punch your boyfriend in the face without a care. That's not you Beth."

"Do you even know what it's like out there?"

"What?"

"If you did then you would understand." Beth snarls out. Maggie moves backwards slightly, eyes wide and hands gripped the armrests of the chair. "Jimmy is the reason I was even out there to begin with. I spent the first couple of months trapped in a hospital and the rest trying to survive just like everyone else in my group - we didn't have the luxury of a big house with our own water or even safety. We lost people, probably lost part of ourselves but despite all of that we kept fighting for ourselves and for each other. So if I'm a little 'different' then I'm sorry but that's just the way it's got to be now."

Maggie is still staring by the time she finishes her rant and Glenn is looking at her with a proud little smile. Beth doesn't feel any better but she doesn't exactly feel worse, it just feels like she said something that had been on her mind without thinking of the consequences it would more than likely have on her and her family.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that and I hope one day you can tell me exactly what happened in that time but you need to know. Mom and Shawn, they went to try and find you when Jimmy came around looking for you - and they came home not an hour later bitten." Maggie explains softly as though it makes everything better and not ten times worse.

"Maggie - this may sound harsh but can we not."

"Bethy we have to talk about this." Maggie whispers back to her, eyes pleading with her. Beth shakes her head and stands up.

"I know but we don't need to do that now." Beth whispers back, her eyes stinging as she looks away from her sister. One day when everything has sunk in and they don't have as much going on then they can sit down and discuss everything that needs to be said. Beth can tell her about Amy, Jim, Jacqui and everything else and in turn Maggie can tell her about what happened but not right now.

...

It's a strange thing to be around her family and group all at once. To feel like an outsider among the people who spent the majority of her life making her feel so loved and safe, and instead to feel safe with a bunch of strangers that two weeks ago she had no idea existed. It should feel wrong, and she knows she should reach out to her family and make them feel like she isn't as different as she seems but she doesn't know how to do that.

They all seem like strangers to her, so close minded and sure that the dangerous world outside won't touch them. They don't know what it is like out there, none of them do and it angers her that they see her group as the dangerous ones. 

"How long has this girl been lost?"

"This'll be day three." Rick answers Hershel, resting his hand on his hip. Beth bites down on her lip as she thinks of the little girl lost in the woods for nearly three days, no food or water and possibly not even alive anymore if the walkers have anything to do with it - their time is running thin as it is already.

Maggie moves forward, slipping something onto the hood of the truck and spreading it out. Her green eyes look to Rick unsurely before flicking to everyone else as she takes a deep breath like she is steading herself for whatever she is going to say or worried about how they might perceive her for stepping in without an invite. "This map shows the terrain and the elevations of the surrounding area."

"Perfect, thank you Maggie." Rick speaks kindly, his hand moving to rest on the womans shoulder. Maggie looks at him startled before she gives him one last smile and steps away, back towards their father. "Now we can finally get this thing organized. We'll grid the whole area, start searching in teams." Rick orders as he turns to face his group, Beth nods her head back at him, moving to stand up straight.

"Not you. Not today. You gave three units of blood. You wouldn't be hiking five minutes in this heat before passing out. And your ankle - push it now, you'll be laid up a month, no good to anybody." Hershel scolds Rick and Shane before they can move any further or make any plans.

"Guess it's just me. I'm gonna head back to the creak, work my way from there. I can still be useful." Daryl rasps out as he moves forward, checking over the map before Hershel can snatch it away from them. His eyes and finger trail over the map, scanning over the area before stopping on the creek.

"I'll head up to the interstate, can check to see if Sophia made her way back." Beth explains as she looks to Rick and Shane for approval, the two nodding at her. She wouldn't have gone if they were both able to leave the farm, instead she would have been with Daryl in the woods but alas not everything can go her way it seems and she is eager for the chance to get away from her family's sad eyes.

"All right, sounds like a good plan - Glenn you alright to do a run into town?" Rick sighs as he turns to look at Glenn. Her best friend opens his mouth and sends her a look like he would rather be going with her but nods his head once she shrugs her shoulders. There are jobs they need to do and two of their best fighters are out for the minute which means it falls down to the pair of them.

"Doodlebug, you can't be going out there." Hershel hisses as he moves to stand beside her. Beth frowns as she turns to look at him. "It's not safe for you."

"One of us has to check, Shane is injured and Rick can't go, that leaves me." Beth explains as softly as she can. "Can't have Sophia waiting up there all day, that's just not right." 

"She's not your responsibility." Hershel hisses loudly, a few people turning to look at him. Instant regret crosses his face as he realises the words have left his mouth. Beth wants to fight back, to tell him he doesn't know anything but her father is stubborn - much like herself - and the only way to get her point across is to be honest with him about how she feels.

"This whole group is my responsibility, we look after each other - therefore I have a right to go looking for Sophia. I care about her and I need to make sure she's safe." Beth speaks softly. Hershel opens his mouth and closes it again as he looks down at his feet, hurt by the implication behind her words. It wasn't like she wanted to hurt him by reminding him that she had a new family to care for but it's the only way she can make him see that she wasn't asking for his permission.

"Beth just listen to daddy. Go to the house, wash up and eat something." Then Maggie is there, resting a hand on Beth's shoulder and speaking to her like a child. The way she always used to do when she wanted to make Beth listen to her.

"Both you need to stop, I'm not asking for permission. I get the worry and stuff but you need to trust that I can handle myself out there."

"If they are all going off alone then we can't have our people out there with just knives. They need the gun training we've been promising them." Shane speaks loudly, talking to Rick but addressing the whole group at the same time. Beth looks away from her family and towards the men, clutching at her gun on her hip. It's not directed to her because she is one of the only women in the group who can actually shoot but she doesn't think it is a bad idea to train up the rest of them.

"I'd prefer you not carrying guns on my property. We've managed so far without turning this into an armed camp" Hershel interjects, holding up his hand and shaking his head. Beth bites back the retort that they had managed because there was only four of them on the farm and no need to go out into the world and run into anyone or anything else.

"All due respect, you get a crowd of those things wandering in here..."

"Look, we're guests here. This is your property. And we will respect that. First things first: set camp, find Sophia." Rick cuts off Shane, nodding to Hershel as he tries to appease the man who is glaring at Shane so fiercely that Beth isn't sure why the man isn't shrinking away. But then again Shane was never one to back down to people who had more authority than him.

"I hate to be the one to ask, but somebody's got to. What happens if we find her and she's bit? I think we should all be clear on how we handle that." Beth sighs at Shane's words. He doesn't look scared or even concerned at the words he utter, like it's something he knows is going to happen and they should be prepared for it.

"You do what has to be done." Rick clarifies, turning to look at Beth who nods her head and flashes her knife with a grimace. She doesn't want to think of putting down Sophia but she will do what's necessary and everyone knows that. She had put down Jim.

"And her mother? What do you tell her?" Maggie asks slightly breathlessly as she looks away from Beth and towards Rick. Beth is glad Carol isn't here to hear them discussing what they might have to do to her daughter, it would probably send her over the edge.

"We tell Carol the truth like she would want." Beth explains softly. If that's what they have to do, they'll do it and they'll tell Carol once the deed is done and out of the way - not before. "And then we make sure we are there for her afterwards."

"I'll gather and secure all the weapons. Make sure no one's carrying till we're at a practice range off site. I do request one rifleman on lookout. Dale's got experience." Shane speaks turning towards Hershel, gesturing behind them to where Dale is stood on top of his R.V, a rifle in his hand and his eyes seeming to be looking everywhere rapidly.

"Our people would feel safer, less inclined to carry a gun."

"I'll give mine to Dale when I get back from checking the interstate." Beth says after Rick as she pulls out her gun, checking how many bullets she has in the chamber. It's not like she is going to go out with the idea of shooting but instead it is there should she need it, a precaution to the knife she already has tucked away. Her eyes drift upwards to see her father frowning at the weapon.

Thankfully he doesn't say anything, doesn't tell her to hand it over and get inside the house, instead he lets out a sigh as Andrea moves forward and hands over her weapon without a fight. It's strange to see the woman who once had so much to say over every little thing suddenly agreeing and doing what is asked of her without even a contradiction.

"You brought some stuff with you." Maggie says suddenly, bringing everyone out of their thoughts. "Do you have anymore? Like antibiotics or bandages?" Maggie adds when she sees everyone looking at her in confusion.

"Just what you've seen." Andrea shrugs her shoulders as she speaks, pushing her hands into her pockets and looking at her gun in Shane's hands longingly.

"We're running short already. I should make a run into town." Maggie announces, turning to her father who gives her a look that says he isn't happy but he isn't going to fight her on this. It aggravates Beth that he can't give her the same courtesy that he always seemed to have for Maggie, even when she was out smoking, drinking and sleeping with anything that said hello to her. 

"The place Shane went?" Beth asks shocked as she turns to look at her sister. She doesn't want her sister going where they had lost Otis. Maggie seems to think the same as she shrugs her shoulders. "Maybe you should head into town."

"I agree. See our man there in the baseball cap? That's Glenn, our go-to-town expert. He's already making a run into town, might as well join him." Rick says as he points to Glenn. Beth relaxes slightly as Maggie nods her head in agreement, feeling safe that she will have someone like Glenn watching her elder sisters back instead of the woman being out there alone and not much knowledge on protecting herself.

...

"You going to go without saying goodbye?" Beth jokes as she adjusts her backpack strap, smirking down at the man sharping his arrows. His sharp blue eyes snap up to look at her, one of his hands coming up to rest under his mouth - it's such a small gesture but one that is so attractive that Beth can't help her mouth drying and her face turning red, something Daryl seems to notice as he smirks at her.

"Looks like you were."

"I'm just off to the interstate though my daddy is insisting I take Jimmy along with me." Beth complains as Daryl glares at her, his arms tensing.

"You got your gun?" Daryl asks, pushing himself up off the ground as Beth nods her head, tapping the weapon on her hip. Daryl hums under his breath, reaching out to touch the weapon as though he needs to check it is really there, his fingertips drifting off it to rest just over her hip. "Good then you can shoot the bastard if he gets out of line."

"Daryl I can't do that." Beth whispers breathily as she stares up at him. Jimmy may be a dick but she won't shoot him for it - she also doesn't want to think about Jimmy when Daryl is touching her without a problem and standing so close to her that she could reach up on her tiptoes and press a gentle kiss to his lips. She won't because she knows it needs to be his choice but she won't lie to herself that the urge is there.

"Then you let me know and I'll make sure he can't chew for a week."

"Oh - well I - "

"Best get going girl - I'll see you later." Daryl mutters as he moves even closer to her, his lips almost brushing against her own. Beth feels as though she can barely breath as he rasps out the next words to her. "Better come back in one piece Greene." It's something so simple but when mixed with those sharp eyes and husky voice it just feels like he has said so much more to her.

It's only when he gives her one last smirk, turning and leaving her alone that she feels like she might just be able to breathe again. Though somehow taking in deep breaths and having her lungs filled with oxygen doesn't feel nearly as appealing as having Daryl Dixon practically pressed against her.

...

The ride up to the highway is quiet between the two teenagers. Jimmy seems unsure of what he can say, probably out of fear that Beth might hit him again, and Beth doesn't really have the need to speak to him at all. It wasn't like she wanted him to be here, she was more than capable of doing this herself and keeping herself safe, she didn't need to babysit a kid who had probably never stepped off the farm since the moment he had entered.

"I'm sorry about Annette and Shawn." Jimmy said finally, staring at her and playing with his fingers. Beth tightens her hands on the steering wheel of Daryl's truck. They could have walked but Beth honestly didn't want to be around Jimmy for too long, and Rick had been adamant that she use the car and get back to them as soon as possible.

"Don't."

"What? So I can't apologise now?" Jimmy spits as he scoffs, rolling his eyes as Beth parks the truck. Her teeth are grating together as she slams the door shut behind her once she jumps out of the van, moving around to stand in front of Jimmy with a glare so fierce that he shrinks away from her in slight fear.

"No. You don't get to apologise for shit - you know what, there is no need for you to even talk anymore, so do us both a favour and only open your mouth when you have something smart or useful to say." Beth snaps as she shoves his shoulder into the truck. Jimmy stares at her with an open mouth as Beth pulls her knife out of her holster, smirking as Jimmy flinches.

She wasn't actually trying to scare him but instead making sure her protection was on her in this giant graveyard, that just seemed to be a plus. The smirk fell of her face as she heard the familiar growl of a walker, Jimmy's eyes going wide as they both turned to stare at it.

So far it only seemed to be one, a young woman probably not much older than them, her rotting eyes on the pair of them. Jimmy moved back towards the truck as Beth watched the walker move closer, holding out her knife to him but he just pushed it away. "You ever killed one before?" Beth asked as she cast him a glance, his eyes wide and scared.

"What?" Jimmy muttered. Beth rolled her eyes as she spun the knife around in her hand, a trick she had learnt from Daryl the night they spent on lookout, her feet carrying her towards the walker before it could take another step closer. Beth watched as her knife snuck through under it's jaw and up to the brain, thick blood spilling out onto her shoes and the body slumping to the ground as Beth pushed it away.

She knew one walker was nothing but she didn't want to risk it. 

"Sophia!" Beth shouted as loud as she could without drawing too much attention to them, her feet stepping over the body as she moved through the cars and towards the sign they had left behind. Jimmy was following behind her, his feet slapping loudly against the road and his breaths laboured - he was unprepared and Beth had no idea why her daddy had even asked her to bring his along with her.

"Should we be shouting?"

Beth didn't answer as she came up to the truck. The sign was still there like they had left it that morning, the backpack still resting firmly in place and untouched. Her heart aches in her chest, thumping painfully but she doesn't know what she should have expected. They had been gone a few hours at most and Sophia had yet to appear at the highway after being gone for three days.

A sigh leaves her mouth as she places her hands on her hips, turning to look at Jimmy only to stop when the sound of tires is heard from the distance. Beth doesn't need to think to know these might not be her people which is why she grabs Jimmy's hand and pulls him towards the trees quickly. Stopping so the highway is still visible but the pair of them aren't.

The vehicle stops not too far away from them, doors squeaking open and slamming closed within a few seconds. "Dude, how are we supposed to get through this mess?"

There is muttered voices and heavy steps as they move closer and closer to where Beth and Jimmy are hidden from view. Beth feels herself tensing as she grips her gun, Jimmy practically shaking beside her, breathing heavily - Beth wants to tell him to quiet down or shut up but she knows she will be heard and there is no telling what these men might do to them both is they are found.

Beth had been lucky so far in her journey, to run across people like Rick but The Vatos hadn't been as lucky and people like Ed were still out there. They wouldn't think twice about a small woman like her and what they could to do to her if given the opportunity - something she isn't going to give them, even if it means having to stop them. She just hopes that Jimmy has the same self preservation she does.

"What do we do?" Jimmy whispers in her ear softly, voice barely a breath. Beth shakes her head as she turns to look at him, holding a finger to her lips as he clenches his jaw, shaky fingers reaching out to rest on her shoulder.

There is a voice in the back of her head, one screaming at her to get him off her and run into the woods with him so they can get back to the farm. It would be easy and Beth is pretty sure she could at least get them back to the turn off but the thought of Sophia coming out of the woods to find men like this is keeping her firmly planted to the ground, eyes staying put on their targets.

"Nothing." One of the men shouts, slamming down what sounds like the trunk of a car. "Why did we even come up here?"

"You know why."

"You trust what they said - looks like those people took off." A man scoffs, leaning against the railing. If he was to turn now, to focus on the trees then he would surely see the pair of people behind him but he seems as dumb as he looks. A gormless expression on the half of his face Beth can see, eyes unfocused as he looks at nothing.

"And took everything useful with them." Another man adds. Beth takes a quick second to peek out before moving back to the cover of the trees. It seems like there might be three or four men out there, far too many for her to handle alone since Jimmy can't even seem to clutch his knife properly and the pair of them only have one gun between them. If she had to then she could roughly fire two shoots before she was spotted and the idea of killing the men - well it just doesn't seem right to her.

"Whatever, just means we have to turn back and tell the boss it was a bust." 

"Think the girl will be punished?" A man asks seeming unsure. Beth bristles, she doesn't like the question, doesn't want to think about what girl is sat where with whoever right now. 

"And? You got a soft spot for little girls now?" The man sat on the railing asks, pushing himself up and walking away from them. Beth feels her teeth sink into her bottom lip, everything just seems too coincidental right now and she doesn't want assume anything or even think that they have Sophia but it's hard not too. It's hard not to judge them when they look the way the do and they talk how they are.

"No - I just - she's just a little girl."

"We can discuss this on the drive back or we can tell the boss when we get to the shack in five minutes."

Beth waits until the car moves away before she ducks out from the trees, moving slowly to the railing and poking her head through it. The car is gone now and Beth's is left with a million questions that she can't even answer. Jimmy moves ahead of her, stalking back to the truck without even a second glance.

It's a shame really because if he had looked back then he would have seen the walker following him and now heading towards Beth who didn't have enough time to move from where she was practically sat beside the railing. Her left hand moved to push it away but it was bigger than her and eager, it's grubby hands reaching out to try and grab her shoulders, slowly closing in until Beth managed to raise her knife under it's chin. Once again being cover in the slime and guts that came from another dead cannibal.

"Beth! Are you ok?" Jimmy shouted the moment Beth stepped back onto the railing, stomping towards him with a glare.

"Are you an idiot?" Beth asks as she shoves him into the open passenger seat, moving around the truck with a glare as she slowly climbed into the truck herself and started the gas before someone could come back and see the pair of them. "You need to pay more attention or you are going to get yourself or someone else killed, you got that?" Jimmy nods his head as Beth turns as fast as she can off the road and to the cut off for the Beth farm.

"What was that? We should have asked them to come with us?" Jimmy practically yelled as Beth pushed him into the car, jumping in beside him and starting the truck straight away. Her foot pressed down on the gas pedal as she sped back towards the farm, frantic eyes scanning every mirror to make sure they weren't being followed.

"You really are stupid" Beth spat out, sending him a glare. "Did you not hear the part where they said they had a little girl or where you just not paying attention?" Beth questioned as Jimmy opened his mouth and closed it again with a snap. Beth carried on speaking. "You clearly have no idea how some people behave now there is no law to stop them so I'll let you in on a little secret. People who have little girls and talk about killing people aren't exactly good or the people we should be around."

"I - I - "

"Whatever, just don't speak until we get back to the farm." Jimmy seems to agree as his mouth snaps shut once again. Beth grits her teeth as she tries to drive as fast as she can without them ending up in an accident but it's hard to do when it feels like her anger is slowly spinning out of her control.

...

"Beth...what happened?" Beth turns to look over shoulder as she heads to camp, Rick moving as fast as he can to catch up to her. He sounds out of breath and his eyes are on the freshly drying blood seeming to cover her from head to toe. Beth lets out a sigh as she gives a tense smile to Carol who seems to be managing the camp as best as she can, placing blankets and clothes into each tent.

"Walkers, Jimmy, take your pick." Beth comments dryly, looking down at her stained shirt. Her hand clutches a water bottle on the ground, opening it up and taking a long gulp before pouring some over her face and using her cleanest sleeve to wipe away whatever blood had stained her there. "Everything alright?" 

"No actually." Rick answers her. Beth throws the water bottle back onto the ground and frowns as she takes in Rick's appearance. He looks paler than before and exhausted like he has too much on his shoulders at the moment. "Your father told me that once Carl is better, and Shane's ankle is right he expects us to move on." It's not as shocking as it should be, after all the looks her father had been sending since the moment she arrived at the farm, it was something she had expected.

"So he just wants us to up and leave?" Beth asks. As much as her family's concerned eyes and gentle words had irked her she didn't want to make her daddy seem like a bad guy by voicing her thoughts on the matter. 

Rick lets out a sigh as he nods his head in confirmation. He gives a longing look to the house, like it is everything he had wanted since he awoke in this world, or like he had actually convinced himself that they could stay here. "I was wondering if you could talk to him."

"Of course, but I'm not sure he'll listen to me."

"Probably listen to you more than me." Rick whispers softly. Maybe if she hadn't have come in here throwing punches and uncaring words, actually listened to them and followed what they had asked her to do, then that would have been true. As it is she instead basically told them all to leave her alone and went out to the interstate without even asking what they thought about it.

"Not sure about that, I mean look at me." Beth jokes as she gestures to her clothes again, picking at the bloody mess and letting out a little chuckle. Rick smiles down at her fondly and taps her shoulder.

"Look like you've taken down a small herd." Rick jokes back as Beth nods her head and Carol joins in with a slight giggle. Beth rolls her eyes, if she had taken down a small herd then she would have run here in a panic and not at all been concerned about her attire.

"It's a shame, I liked this shirt."

"I'm sure Daryl has one just like that you can borrow." Rick teases, pushing her shoulder gentle as Beth rolls her eyes again. She doesn't want to think about asking Daryl for a shirt nor how it would feel to her if she happened to wear his clothing. It makes her cheeks blush, her palms begin to sweat and her stomach tingle with butterflies just at Rick's words alone.

"Oh he would love that, seeing Beth in his clothes." Carol adds, a smirk on her face as she places new shirt in Beth's hands. The jeans would have to do, they were hard to find in her size as it was and there was no point taking them off to put a new pair on. "I'll wash yours tomorrow. Don't fight me on it."

"Thank you." Beth speaks graciously as she moves towards a tent, not even bothering to zip it shut behind her. Carol and Rick chat calmly outside as she throw her dirty shirt outside onto the ground and pulls the slightly old smelling green vest on instead. It's a testament to how her nose is adjusting to the new world when it doesn't even scrunch up at the smell of sweat on her skin.

"I'll go speak to my dad in a couple of minutes." Beth tells Rick as Carol walks away from the camp, back towards the R.V where Dale is still sat atop and staring around. She waits a couple of seconds to make sure Carol is far enough away before she speaks again. "But there is something I need to speak to you about."

"What?" Rick asks, his face changes instantly from slightly more relaxed to stressed, his hands automatically resting on his hips.

"Some people on the highway - maybe three or four, I'm not sure but they didn't exactly seem like the friendly type." Beth explains softly, quickly checking to make sure no one is around to listen. Some people in their group have a tendency to over panic, it's something they can't deal with right now nor is it something they can have spreading through the farm before they know for for what it is.

"They didn't see - "

"No, I made Jimmy hide before he could give us away but it was a close call." Beth says softly, throwing her hand in the air like she is pushing the statement away, like it isn't that important. It isn't really, not when she utters the next words. "They mentioned something about staying in a shack not too far from here."

"There's something else that you are not saying." Rick insists as he pulls her away from the camp as Carol makes her way back towards them. Beth rubs the back of her neck, feeling her dirty hair tickle her hand, she wants nothing more than to wash it or chop it all off so she doesn't have to deal with anymore.

"They said something about a little girl." It's like she's dropped a bomb on both of them. Rick's mouth falls open as he rubs his head and takes a couple of steps backwards, unsure of how to deal with the information she had just handed him. "Now I don't know if it's Sophia, but these guys didn't sound like the sort of people who happily keep little girls around to keep them safe." Beth hisses the last words and she feels bad for judging someone but she can't not in these times.

"I'll speak to Daryl when he gets back, plan a search and tomorrow we'll go out and see if we find this shack." Rick whispers to her, nodding his head one last time before he turns and leaves her stood on the edge of the camp alone with her thoughts.

....

The porch creaks under her feet, the peeling paint sticking to her sweaty hands from the railing. It looks just like she remembers, not that it would have any reason to look any different. The front door is old and wary, the wooden floor scuffed with marks from the amount of children it had had running around on it and her mothers porch swing seems empty and cold. It should feel like home but instead it feels as though she is walking to a strangers house.

"Bethy? Why are you stood out here?" Beth jumps in surprise as her father's voice rings out from behind her. The man in question gives her a once over, his jaw tensing as his cold eyes settle on her blood stained jeans until they move to her face as he finally stands in front of her.

"I wasn't sure if I should come in." Beth admits as pushes the thousands of memories trying to force their back in. This isn't the time to think about how her Mama would sit on the swing, a glass of iced tea in her hands and a smile on her face as she listened to Beth sing beside her, or watch Maggie ride around or Shawn riding the tractor around. It wasn't time to think about that she is stood in the same place Shawn used to play cards with her in the summer.

"Bethy this is your home, you should be in here with us." Hershel whispers sadly, his hands reaching out to rest on her shoulder. He seems to have no doubts that she should be beside him, like she could just sit in that house and things would go back to how they used to be.

"It's not my home anymore daddy."

"Bethy - "

"I didn't come here to discuss that anyway, not yet, I just came because you need to reconsider sending them back out there when Carl gets better." Beth states as she cuts him off, her hands resting on her thighs as she sits herself down on the stairs. Hershel seems to consider her words until he settles beside her awkwardly. His hands rest on his lap and his eyes settle on the farm ahead of them.

"Bethany, I can't keep them here." Hershel whispers. Beth feels chills run up her spine as she remembers the times she had been called Bethany, usually when she had done something wrong or worthy of a punishment.

"Because you don't know how it really is out there, if you knew then you wouldn't even question any of them staying here. Believe me daddy." She refuses to plead with him, refuses to beg because she has more pride than that. She isn't, however, above pouting slightly and batting her eyes like she used to do when she was younger to get out of being in trouble.

"Bethy you're putting me on the spot. Yours friends don't belong here." Hershel doesn't even look at her as he speaks, just shaking his head and glaring at her group as they settle around the camp, waiting for the others to come back.

"Then I don't too daddy. And if they go then I go. Those people saved my life, Rick saved my life and I wouldn't be here without him. And they won't ask for themselves but I will ask for them, I'll ask for Carl, for all of them." Beth explains softly, out of the corner of her eye she sees Hershel look at her, his jaw clenched and his eyes looking colder than ever. "We already lost Otis, if you send us out there then we - just think about it daddy."

"You're very plainspoken today." Hershel comments as though he is talking about the weather. He doesn't seem concerned with anything Beth said, like her going out there was what he expected from her.

"I have to be because they - I can't let them down. Everything we've been through and lost just to be pushed back on the road again." Beth can feel her temper rising as her father doesn't seem to even want to consider changing his mind. It's obvious on his face that he has made his decision but Beth isn't giving up just yet. "Rick hasn't told the rest of the group, hasn't told Carl that we will have to go - he's practically lied to his - "

"My father didn't bother with comforting lies, you know this Bethany. He used his fist. He was a loveless, violent drunk and no good to anybody. He drove me from home when I was 15. Didn't lay eyes on this place again for many years. I was not at his deathbed." Hershel hisses out, much like he always does when he speaks about his father. "I don't imagine that Rick will have that problem with his son nor with his group."

"Does that matter? If you send us back onto that road then Carl, Rick and myself will be dead before we can figure out how our parents messed us up and how we can forgive them again." Beth snaps harshly, clenching her hands into fists and bringing them down against the wood beside her.

"Bethany!" Hershel shouts out, a few people turning to look at them until he lowers his voice. "I will not have you blackmailing me - "

"I'm not. I just want you to know every option before you make a hasty decision. If you send them away then I go too, and you need to know what might happen then." Beth forces herself to keep her voice calm as she raises her hands to rest them on her lap before turning to look at her father. "I just want you to consider everything before you make your final choice."

Hershel doesn't answer her but he doesn't make an attempt to move away from her. Beth can't see whether he is thinking over her words, but she can only hope that she takes what she has said to heart and gives them a chance. Beth stands herself up and moves to the bottom of the stairs, stopping to turn and face her father one last time for the day. 

"You had a funeral for Otis, placed a marker down for him." Beth begins, watching his face carefully as he frowns at her like he doesn't know where she is going with this. "Yet I don't see one for Mama and Shawn. Did you place them somewhere else?" Beth asks cautiously. Hershel blinks at her, face turning pale and his hands rubbing together with nerves.

"I haven't gotten round to it just yet." It's a very obvious lie judging by the way he looks away from her, hand reaching up to rub the back of his neck.

"Daddy - "

"There are aspects to this, things that I can't and won't discuss. But if those people respect my rules, no promises, but I will consider it. You have my word." End of discussion, loud and clear, added with the man turning and entering his house, door slamming shut behind him in a way that let Beth know she wasn't supposed to follow him inside. It wasn't like she wanted to anyway.

...

Beth was fuming by the time she reached the R.V. Her daddy's words were playing on a loop in her head - she needed to find Rick and prepare him for the fact that her father was probably going to send them back out into the world again but right now she just wanted to sit in some peace and quiet and think over everything. It turned out that her wish for being alone wasn't heard.

"You ok?" Beth hides the sigh she wants to let out as she sees Carol stood by the sink, wide eyes focused on Beth.

"My father is hiding something." Beth admits because she isn't sure what else she is supposed to say. It seems to say everything as Carol nods her head giving Beth a chance to look around in shock at how the R.V looked. "What - "

"I cleaned up. Wanted it to be nice for her." Carol speaks softly as she wipes down a counter. Beth holds back the urge to spill the men and the little girl they had, how it could be Sophia and tomorrow they would be out looking for her. She doesn't want to bring down the calmer mood Carol seems to have at this moment in time, it just doesn't seem fair right now.

"For a second I thought I was in the wrong place"

"Daryl said the same thing when he dropped off this." Carol says with a laugh as she gestures to Daryl stood in the corner. Beth frowns as she sees him stood there half hidden, having missed him when she first entered the R.V. He tilts his head at her, blue eyes scanning over her face and the dirty clothes she is wearing, she shakes her head slightly hopefully conveying that they would discuss things later.

Daryl nods his head as he moves forward handing her a pretty white flower no entirely different from the one in the beer bottle Carol was placing on the middle of the table. Her heart began racing for a second, like some small girl with a crush, until she reminded herself he had done the same for Carol. "A flower?"

"It's a Cherokee Rose. The story is that when American soldiers were moving Indians off their land on the Trail of Tears the Cherokee mothers were grieving and crying so much 'cause they were losing their little ones along the way from exposure and disease and starvation. A lot of them just disappeared. So the elders, they said a prayer; asked for a sign to uplift the mother's spirits, give them strength and hope. The next day this Rose started to grow right where the mothers tears fell. I'm not fool enough to think there's any flowers blooming for my brother. But I believe this one bloomed for your little girl." He speaks softly to Carol before turning to face Beth. "Your mother and your brother."

Beth chokes back the sob in her throat as she twists the flower through her fingers, a small smile on her face. It's something so sweet, and so unlike Daryl that she can't help but blush that he had thought of her and Carol when he found them. It would have almost been a romantic gesture if they had been alone but Beth doesn't think Daryl is the type to hand out flowers to the women he likes for no apparent reason.

"You said your daddy was hiding something?" Carol asks suddenly, pulling Beth out of her thoughts.

"They had a funeral for Otis pretty quickly yet there are no signs, that I can see, that he did the same for my Mama and Shawn." Beth explains as she sits down at the table, placing the flower in the bottle with the other one. "He says he didn't have time but I don't know, I just feel like something it's adding up." She adds when she sees the frowns.

"Maybe it was just too hard for him." Carol tries to defend Hershel but it seems even she is having doubts.

It just doesn't make sense. If Annette and Shawn died pretty early on then they would have to be put in the ground or wherever they laid would have begun to stink up the place. It would be hard to tell where they were laid now, as the grass would have grown over, which meant placing markers down would have been even more difficult. Hershel was not the sort of man to just keep waiting on something.

"No, I know my dad, he would want to begin the grieving process as soon as possible, let them go to God." Beth says as she shakes her head, resting her hands on the table and deciding the change the subject with a small smile and a simple comment. "She'll really like it here."

Carol nor Daryl answer her but the older woman does give her a grateful smile before she stares off out of the window. Beth can only imagine what she is thinking of, she hopes it's what she pictures. Sophia running through the fields with Carl, happy to be back with her family and safe and sound, maybe a bit wiser and a bit less fearless but still a child. It's a possibility that seems to be slipping further and further away from them the more Sophia is out there.

...

The house smelled the same as she entered it, hand silently pushing the door closed behind her as she tip toed towards the familiar downstairs guest bedroom. It was hard to ignore the familiar pictures, furniture and ornaments that littered every surface though it became easier to push it away as she entered the room and focused on little Carl laid awake in his bed.

"Sup cowboy, nice hat." Beth jokes as she sits beside him, half hanging off the bed. Carl turns his head to look at her, a grin on his face as he raises a hand weakly to dip his hat slightly. Beth can't help but laugh as she taps the top of it.

"Dad gave it to me."

"Well I think it suits you something might fine." Beth speaks slowly, dragging out her accent to sound more like an old timey woman. Carl gives her a giggle, wincing not two seconds later when it clearly pulls at his stomach. "Your dad better watch out if he doesn't want you taking his job." She leans forward to whisper in his ear as though there is people around them.

"I think you are next in line for that." He sounds so serious, like he thinks if anyone would be able to lead after his father then it would be her. Beth is inclined to disagree, she doesn't want to lead anyone anytime soon. "Thank you - " At Beth's confused face he carries on speaking, reaching out with one hand to grip hers. " - for looking after my dad, I don't think anyone else really said that."

"Didn't do anything really, he looked after me." Beth mumbles, feeling her cheeks heat up as she squeezes Carl's hand. It feels too heavy on her chest so instead she settle for another joke. "Though I will say I am glad he was wearing some shorts under that hospital gown otherwise things would have been weird."

"Ew!" Carl exclaimed, sticking out his tongue and scrunching up his face as Beth laughed. She doubted that in the current situation a man not wearing shorts would have been her biggest concern but it's nice to joke with with him like it was. It's nice to feel young and slightly childish again after everything.

"You've got a good dad Carl." Beth whispers as Carl's hand loosens slightly, his head turning to rest on his pillow. Beth can't help but watch as he drifts off to sleep, his body needing the rest. Her eyes fill up with tears at the whole situation and her hand reaches out to push some of the hair from his eyes - it just didn't feel fair for a child to have to go through so much.

To have to grow up in a world where the dead walk again and they are Hell bent on eating you. To watch people die. To losing a friend and to being shot all in the same day. To have to listen to the rising voices of the Greene family when all you want to sleep.

Beth moves slowly off the bed and towards the door. "....wrong with her." So Maggie is back from her run and clearly annoyed at something. Beth wonders if Glenn struggled with her big sister or if they just did what they had to do in silence. "She didn't even seem to care about Mom or Shawn - it was like talking to a robot." Oh, so they are talking about her. Just great.

"Let's not forget she punched Jimmy for no reason." Patricia added as Beth rolled her eyes, she had a perfectly good reason that Jimmy didn't want to share it seemed.

"At the interstate she was like a different person, she stabbed - she killed one of those things and walked around with it's blood on her." Jimmy sounds scared, like he couldn't even imagine doing that. He probably couldn't, judging by the way he was shaking beside her. They just didn't understand her anymore. "Not to mention the hunter and that Asian guy that she seems stuck to." Fucking jealous dick.

"Daddy are you listening?" Maggie snaps, there is a bang. Clearly her elder sisters temper is the same as it was before, making loud noises to get people to listen to her and then talking before they can answer her. "She's hitting Jimmy, killing _them_ , hanging round them people and all but refusing to come in the house." Beth doesn't like the way she talks about walkers, like Beth is going around stabbing humans.

"Maggie, there is nothing I can do." Hershel speaks clearly and loudly in a way that says he isn't taking any shit right now. "She asked me to let them stay, all but threatened that she would go with them when I asked them to go and I believe she will."

"Woah...they can't stay here!" Jimmy shouts, the sound of a chair following him. Beth can almost imagine him standing up and knocking his seating over, a frown on his face and his all American face contorted in something that would resemble a stroppy toddler. "I don't trust anyone out there, I mean look at them!"

"James, you are a guest here." Hershel hisses, hand banging down on the table. "I will make the decisions here - right now I still have the same plan as I did when they first arrived here."

"But what about Bethy?" Maggie asks softly, like a scared child. Beth frowns, she doesn't want to leave them no matter how much of dicks they are being. They are her family. But her group, their safety and their life come first and if that means she has to leave her family behind then she has made her peace with it. She can't be around people who don't know what is safe and what isn't anymore.

"I'll figure out something to keep her here." Hershel states as though it is going to be the easiest job in the world. "But for now we keep an eye on them all and we keep them away from the barn."

Beth moves away from the door, letting the voices fade into the background as she moves silently to the window. Her eyes find the barn fairly easy, not like it's hard - the big structure had been at the edge of her farm forever, normally housing the hays and sometimes animals so it made no sense why her family would want people away from it unless they were hiding something.

Footsteps moved outside Carl's bedroom door, Beth knew it could be Rick but it could be her father and she was more keen to find out what was in the barn. The window opened with a slight creek but Beth just carried on, flipping her legs over the side and pushing herself down onto the ground. Her feet land with a thump and her hands reach back up to pull the window down.

Beth moves as fast as she could, not stopping to check on the camp as she heads towards the barn, mind going a hundred miles an hour as she tries to prepare herself for what she might find.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So thank you for reading this chapter and I hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> Things are going to start going in a bit of a different direction next chapter. I added some new things in and I hope you enjoyed them. I'd like to hear your opinions and what you think is going to happen.
> 
> I will try and upload better but I can't make promises because I haven't been in the best place lately. I'm not asking for sympathy or anything but I just want to let you know - don't worry about me, I am healthy and everything, just I have anxiety which can get in the way of life sometimes.
> 
> Anyway thank you for reading. I hope you comment and like. I'll see you guys soon!

**Author's Note:**

> So I hope this was alright for you guys. Basically Beth and Rick begin together, I've never really seen anyone do that with Bethyl stories and I just thought I would give it a try. Nothing romantic will happen between Beth and Rick, they will have a pure friendship; a brother/sister relationship.
> 
> Anyway please comment and like. It means so much to mean to hear feedback on my stories. Thank you for reading.


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